The chief of Dakota Tipi First Nation held an emergency meeting Saturday to come up with an action plan to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota.
Dakota Tipi Chief Keith Pashe led a protest Saturday that blocked one lane of the Trans-Canada Highway near Portage la Prairie.
A protest was also scheduled to take place at Portage and Main in Winnipeg at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Pashe said he's angered by the use of violence against the Dakota people at Standing Rock.
"If our children keep getting hurt down there, we said we’re going to take a stand,” said Keith Pashe of the Southern Chiefs Organization. “We’re going to do something, as Dakota-Lakota people, because it’s gotta stop."
Pashe made a call for action to Manitoba First Nations leaders.
“SCO recognizes the turbulence and violent acts stemming from the protests and fully supports Chief Pashe’s efforts to coordinate a community discussion and calls to action,” the organization said in a news release.
READ MORE: 'We care': Manitobans protest North Dakota's pipeline from home
Pashe said those protesting the Dakota Access pipeline are being assaulted and wrongfully persecuted.
He wants the Canadian government to hold off on signing any agreements regarding the Enbridge pipeline, Gateway pipeline or Trans-Canada pipeline.
Grand Chief Terry Nelson says a lot of oil moves through Dakota territory from Canada to the U.S., and blocking rail lines, oil tankers and pipelines are all options on the table.
"The only time that they’re ever going to think about this is when their rail way lines get shut down, when the pipelines get shut down, then they’ll come running and say hey, can we sit and talk. But as it is right now, and what we’ll be saying very clearly tomorrow, is that if you don’t take any action, nobody gives a damn about what you think."
READ MORE: Pipeline protesters vow to stay camped on federal land
On Friday, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said Friday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to close the area where protesters have been camping for months. The area will be declared off limits to all members of the public starting Dec. 5.
Pashe said he's keeping a close eye on what unfolds in Standing Rock. If the protest goes downhill, he and his community may block the entire Trans-Canada.
- With files from The Associated Press
