A group of Saskatchewan First Nations has turned to Taiwan's Chinese Petroleum Corp. to help them get a foothold in the province's fledgling tarsands play.

The Indian Oilsands Group recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the state-owned refining company that will kick-start work on the project, Oilsands Group spokesman Ken Thomas told a Saskatoon news conference Thursday.

The Oilsands Group includes four First Nations — Beardy's-Okemasis, Flying Dust, Witchekan Lake and Cowessess — as well as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

The group plans to buy unoccupied Crown land in the province's northwest, around the area where Calgary-based Oilsands Quest has had some success, Thomas said.

The Chinese Petroleum Corp. has promised to invest up to $800 million to finance the tarsands exploration work, he said.

"The intention of this whole joint venture with CPC is that we would develop the entire project — the entire value-added chain from freezing the land, selecting it, turning it to reserve status, extracting it from the ground using steam-extracted gravity drainage, upgrading it and then refining it," Thomas said.

FSIN Chief Lawrence Joseph said it's time First Nations benefited from the resource development that is ravaging their land.

"This development is happening in and around our territories anyway, without our inclusion," Joseph said.

"It's extremely frustrating when the province of Saskatchewan goes ahead and does business, giving permits for explorations, without due consideration to the Supreme Court decision, the duty to consult our people."

Joseph said this project will allow First Nations to "drive the bus" without having to get the blessing of the federal or provincial governments.