Indigenous leaders, pipeline critics to welcome sacred totem pole to Winnipeg

Indigenous leaders and activists will accept a sacred totem pole in Winnipeg Monday and hope to remind the prime minister of his commitmentsto First Nations and the environment.

The totem pole comesfrom the Coastal Salishpeoples of the Lummi Nation inWashington. It has been giftedto those living on Treaty 1territory who are opposed to the development of the Energy East pipeline, said Clayton Thomas-Muller, a campaigner with global climate movement 350.org.

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"The totem pole has been journeying across the continent, stopping at various pipeline protestsand different Indigenous-led fossil fuel protests," Thomas-Muller said.

The totem pole is coming from North Dakota, where it has been usedduring ongoing pipelineprotests on theStanding Rock Sioux Tribe reservation.

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Thomas-Muller said the arrival of the sacred totem poleprovides a great opportunity to bring people together to talk about climate change and what can be done to stem global warming.

"We're going to march down Main Streetwith all kinds of 14-[foot]puppeteffigies,beautiful banners carrying our message to remind Prime Minister Trudeauabout his climate commitments, and about hiscommitmentto renew the nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations," Thomas-Muller said.

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"That certainly doesn't include expanding the Alberta Tar Sands or building more fossil fuel infrastructure like the proposed Energy East pipeline."

The seven-metretall, 1,300-kilogrampole will be honoured during a ceremony atOdennaCircle at 3:30 p.m. and remain on Treaty 1 territory.