With the renovation of Hotel Tower 1 at Mystic Lake Casino, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community is donating eight floors of furniture to Indian tribes and the Minneapolis urban Indian community.

Furniture recipients include the Red Lake Band of Chippewa (Minnesota), Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate (South Dakota), Yankton Sioux Tribe (South Dakota), Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota), Oglala Sioux Tribe (South Dakota), the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (South Dakota), and the Upper Sioux Community (Minnesota).

The tribes will use the furniture in a variety of ways. The Yankton Sioux Tribe will use the furniture in various enterprises. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe will use it in its chemical-dependency program with excess going to serve tribal elders. Other tribes will use the items for their members with priorities going to elders or group homes. For the Minneapolis Urban Indian Community the American Indian Community Development Corporation will act as the agent to distribute the items to Native American organizations and to tribal elders.

Each tribe (and the urban Indian community) will receive one floor of furniture, which will fill approximately two semitrailer trucks. The SMDC is also donating the loading and shipping costs. The donation is valued at more than $150,000.

The donations began last week, with one floor per week expected to go out. The last floor of furniture is scheduled to leave Mystic Lake Casino Hotel on May 21.

Each floor contains a mixture of furniture from 28 rooms, including king and queen size beds, wall mirrors, night stands, lamps, tables, chairs, ottomans, armoires, televisions and artwork.

"We are happy that this furniture will be put to good use by these tribes to help their people," said SMSC Chairman Stanley Crooks.

Mystic Lake Casino opened in May 1992 with the first hotel tower opening in August 1996.

A second hotel tower opened in 2000 with a third tower in 2005.