(light dramatic music) (light dramatic music continues) (light dramatic music continues) - [Kipp] Basketball, I think it was in my genes.

(crowd cheering) - [Reporter] Kipp made history in 1992 by becoming the first female Montana tribal member to play NCAA Division I college basketball.

- My dad did, his dad, uncles, cousins before me.

It was just what we did in Browning.

Running Indians, playing ball, Native ball.

(light music) (birds chirping) (ball tapping) (light music continues) - We don't have a lot of opportunities on the reservation, so basketball around here, that's really big.

We just wanna cheer on our people.

- The small-town girl, you know, coming from Browning, Montana, Blackfeet Reservation, Malia Kipp, just paving the way for all young Native Americans.

You know, it's just inspiring right now.

- For my kids to have someone to look up to is really important.

Some of the challenges on the reservation are drugs and alcohol, absent parents, grandparents raising children.

It's tough.

(light music continues) (engine rumbling) - My name is Barbara Malia Kipp.

I'm a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, born and raised in Browning, Montana.

If you wanna go to Walmart or a movie theater is two-and-a-half hours in any direction.

Growing up in the Kipp household, we were a team.

I was the oldest, we were really family-orientated.

I spent a lot of time with my great-grandparents.

with my grandparents.

If you grew up on a reservation, that's just how our circle of life has always been.

(light music continues) - Basketball games, that's where, like, everybody is at.

- There were no malls, there were no, you know, nothing else to do.

It really felt like an island to me.

- Basketball, it brought our community closer.

- Personally, like, it was, like, my escape.

So if I was, like, stressed out or you know, upset about something, like, I just went to my basketball court.

- You just kind of forget about everything else that's going on in your life.

- I remember seeing posters of Malia, and I'm like, "I wanna do that.

I wanna be on the posters."

You're born on the reservation you're gonna play basketball.

Just what you do.

(light music) - I used to start taking 'em to a city league when she was probably two, three years old.

And so, she used to follow me and try to play ball with us.

- They had a Meadow Gold Shoot-Out or- - Free-throw contest.

- Free-throw contest and kids had to get pledges for it.

And my sister, she said, "I'll give her $2 a basket."

She ended up having to pay $48.

It was a lot of money back then.

And well, she might be kind of good at this.

- That's true, yes.

(both laughing) - My dad definitely was my hero growing up.

He showed me old-school moves.

He taught me a lot about, it didn't matter who you're playing against, a ball player's a ball player.

I remember being in third grade, and I was the only girl at recess playing basketball with the boys.

"Oh you're a girl, and you can't do that."

And so, then, it gave me motivation, like, just playing against a tougher opponent every time.

I never was afraid of it.

The summer before my freshman year, the Lady Griz were playing.

I didn't even know the Lady Griz existed, until that was on TV.

- [Reporter] The game was oversell at capacity, and people were stacked up to the ceiling.

- And I was like, "What?

Look at these girls.

6'2."

Well, that's me, and there's more of me out there continuing to get to play ball after high school."

And that just just blew my mind.

And I told my mom and dad, "I wanna play for the Lady Griz."

So that summer, they sent me to a Griz camp for the first time.

It was expensive, too, but you know, they did that for me, and I really appreciate it.

(light emotional music) - [Announcer] And introducing the head coach for the University of Montana Lady Griz, Robin Selvig.

- Rob came and watched me play here in Browning.

I don't know any other coaches that did come in person to Browning.

It meant a lot that he came all that way to watch me play.

When Rob called to offer me the scholarship, my mom hollered, "Malia, Malia, Rob's on the phone!"

Asked me if I'd be interested.

Heck yeah, I was waiting for that moment for a really long time.

(light dramatic music) - I'm a Montana native.

I would think a number-one priority for the University of Montana would be to give Montana kids who are talented enough the chance to represent 'em.

If they don't have an opportunity, how can they ever show what they can do?

To me, no, I never recruited anybody I didn't think was good enough to play here.

- An Indian girl going to play for the University of Montana, and then all of a sudden, it kind of dawned on me, this is a big deal.

- When I received a full-ride scholarship to University of Montana, I believe there was only two other Native athletes that were also playing NCAA full-ride.

- We put a little pressure on Malia.

You gotta tend to business, because then they see you as an Indian, who's just another Indian that didn't make it.

And so, she had to prove that it could be done.

- The history of Indian athletes going the way to school and not being able to finish college.

And I was actually one of those athletes.

When I went I end up flunking outta Northern, didn't really tend to business, and the emphasis that we had was, you need to go.

If you got a basketball scholarship to play ball, that'd be great, but you gotta remember, you gotta get your education, that's more important.

- When I was leaving Browning, I was really anxious.

I really expected my mom and dad to be driving me.

But no, just helped me load up my vehicle.

I was like, "Wait, you're not... You're not driving with me?"

"No, you'll be OK." I cried off and on the whole trip over.

(light dramatic music) Missoula just, it was a culture shock for me.

It was hard.

I felt uncomfortable.

- Like, it literally felt, like, a different continent.

When I went to Missoula.

It felt huge.

I didn't wanna drive my car, and I felt very, very uncomfortable for a long time, because it wasn't a tribal community.

- I remember, like, attending the first day and being, like "I want to go back home."

- I was pretty scared when I first moved over.

It was a pretty tough first year there at the U.

- My teammates were so expressive, they danced, they sung, and that was, like, so out of my comfort zone.

'Cause people here, people are pretty quiet and reserved in a lot of ways.

I felt really different than all the other people.

(birds chirping) - The challenges, culturally, being the first Native to play at the Lady Griz, just lack of understanding.

I had really long hair, and some of my teammates would insist that my hair be in my practice jersey.

On the Native side, you don't touch anybody's hair, unless you're OK with it, because that's our memories, our strength.

We had to figure out how to live in two worlds, to be who you were and who people expected you to be, and where you felt comfortable.

And at times, that was difficult.

- Chief Earl Old Person, he still holds that even though he's gone, he's still chief of the Blackfeet Tribe.

Earl would say it, "When you leave here you're going into the white man's world, and it's different.

You gotta learn their ways but also hanging on to what you was brought up on, and never walk away from either one, 'cause they're both gonna help you in the long run."

(light music) - Rob was really focused on being culturally sensitive.

He asked me to come into his office, and I noticed he had four different books in regards to Native Americans.

And I was like, "Oh!"

If people would take the time to learn about someone else's culture, I think that we wouldn't have the difficulties or the stressors that we have in our world today.

(light dramatic music) Stepping on the court for the first time as a Lady Griz, I was super excited.

I felt like, "Is this really happening?"

I could feel the energy,and you couldn't even hear anything.

But then at the same time, it would seem like there was no noise at all, it was so loud.

(crowd cheering) And I start thinking, "Am I gonna remember the plays?"

All those expectations, and I just tried to just find my center and do what I knew I needed to do out there on the court and just play my role.

(upbeat music) (crowd cheering) Rob demanded greatness.

Rob's intensity was... (laughs) I loved it.

Growing up all my coaches were intense.

It was normal for me.

I was brought up with, don't worry when they're yelling at you, worry when they stop yelling at you.

He treated players how every athlete should be treated.

It shouldn't matter.

Like, I'm a girl, you shouldn't talk to me that way.

No, you're a basketball player, and we're here to win, we're here to accomplish something, and you're gonna listen.

It's good to have people like that, you know, in your life, that know that you can be better, and they're gonna help you get there.

(light music) I wanted to go into sports medicine, and the professor told me that he felt like I just wasn't smart enough.

Part of me, I felt like, was it because I'm Native?

I'm like, aren't you here to help me, not break me?

It was difficult.

I believed him for a little bit.

My motivation to stay at Missoula, to get a degree, to continue playing basketball were my family, who I am, where I came from, to kind of reverse the stereotype.

Yeah, people would talk, like, "Oh you're from Browning," and then it was already like you were marked.

Or you're from a reservation, and you were already, like, already thought of in a certain way.

You're uneducated, you know?

We're dishonest.

You can't just look at an individual, and just because of their last name or what they look like or where they're from, automatically know that person.

No, you don't.

So, I'm gonna surprise you.

(emotional music) (crowd cheering) - One of the up-and-coming stars of the Lady Griz basketball team has already qualified for hero status, at least in the eyes of the people of Browning.

- [Reporter] She's a rising star on the Lady Griz basketball team.

Inspired by her father, Kipp is aiming for a top spot on the Lady Griz squad.

- [Anncouncer] Malia Kipp!

(crowd cheering) - [Reporter] Malia is special as one of just a handful of Native American women in the country with a full-ride basketball scholarship at a Division I school.

She hopes her success inspires other Native American women.

- Little kids need role models, and I believe that I'm a good role model for 'em.

(emotional music continues) - When we went on road games, there's a couple places we'd play that were near reservations, and a whole bunch of Native American kids would come to watch.

People that are good role models are worth their weight in gold.

- Rob recognized that we deserve to be here just as much as anybody else.

- [Reporter] Malia Kipp, a young Native American woman who's got her game together.

(crowd cheering) - [Announcer] Malia Kipp!

- After a couple years seeing the impact that I was having, there were moments that the weight of, "Can I complete this?

Can I do this?"

Probably more often than not,I was thinking about my sister.

A good ballplayer, better ballplayer than me.

Would she get the same opportunity if I failed?

No, I don't think so.

And then all the other Native kiddos that would come and support me from different reservations?

When I felt like I was struggling, or, like, I felt like I couldn't do this, I always remember (sighs) words that my Grandma Kipp would say.

She'd say, "Babe, God doesn't put things in our way to break you.

Those that you perceive as burdens, they're a privilege.

He's asking you to do it, because He knows you can do it.

So, you remember that, and you just keep going forward, and you take care of business."

(light music) Kids from Browning, their incentive for getting good grades and being on honor roll were to come and watch me play.

- I was teaching at the middle school at the time, and my students were excited about it.

To send a bus of kids to Missoula, it's not cheap.

They paid for their food.

So it's around four hours down, and another four back.

They'd all sit in one place, and they'd mob her at the end and get her autograph.

Community was big backing for Malia.

- There was a couple of families that had daughters, and they named their daughter after Malia, and they were non-Native.

(crowd cheering) - I became stronger towards the end of my career.

I was, like, nothing was gonna phase me.

This is what I was asked to do.

And yeah, you have those people trying to be in your way, but you're just going to jump over 'em, because you have all these other people pushing you forward.

- Sports gives you ups and downs.

I don't care how good you are, you had tough times.

You did.

And the fact you persevered says something about you, but it probably says something about the people around you that picked you up; your coaches, your teammates, your family.

- [Announcer] Let's hear it for Malia Kipp!

- On senior night, like what, it's already done?

I was actually, I was really sad.

The core of the people that I played ball with, we really had an appreciation for one another and where we came from.

- Malia was a warrior because she did her education, she played ball against the best ball players.

And whatever team she came up against, Malia played her best for herself, for her university and for her tribe.

That's what makes her a warrior.

(light music) - Malia wore her eagle feather in her hair for the warmup.

She couldn't for the game, of course.

- The eagle feather that I wore on seniors night was given to me by Chief Earl Old Person, when I was in high school, to represent that you've done battle, you've overcome.

- The eagle feather is the highest honor that one person can give another person.

- Basketball has always been something I was really just passionate about, because my dad was passionate about it.

- The family, we've supported her, and not just myself and my wife, but her brother and her sisters and her grandfolks.

We haven't missed a home game since she's been playing.

Our chief, Earl Old Person, got a hold of us and wanted to know if they could do this honor song for Malia.

It was a proud time.

- Earl called me that day, he said, "Hey, we're going to Missoula."

And I said, "OK." Then he said, "Get a hold of the boys."

(light music) (crowd cheering) - I did not know the Rawhide Singers were gonna be there.

I was in awe.

(crowd cheering) - Earl got the mic, and everybody just got silent when Earl started talking.

(audience clapping) - Thank you, at this time, on behalf of the parents, the relatives, friends of Malia Kipp.

On behalf of the Blackfeet Nation, Browning, Montana, we're gonna sing our Flag Song.

This song has been used especially for those people that served in the armed forces as warriors.

And we say tonight, that Malia has been a warrior.

Thank you.

(audience clapping) (drums tapping) (chanting in Native language) (chanting in Native language) (light dramatic music) - Every reservation in United States, they have their own tribal flag song equivalent to the National Anthem.

And I think that's about the first song you learn when you start singing.

Earl always says, "Let the younger people learn the song, so that way, they're not lost."

I'm the last of the Rawhide Singers.

(light music) - The weight that held, to have those powerful elders come make that trip to sing that song, for not only myself, for my team.

There's no greater honor than to have that happen.

I wish I coulda expressed it more at the time to them.

I was so appreciative that the community of Missoula was able to witness the honor that we give each other and appreciation, but also that they were giving honor to them for taking care of me.

(elders chanting in Native language) (audience clapping) (audience cheering) (light music continues) - Malia inspires me to play basketball.

- A lot of times, we don't think we can do anything once our basketball careers are over.

Seeing Rob recruit from the reservation, it was awesome for Native people.

Not just Blackfeets, but for all Native people.

- I think Malia being the first trailblazer, it's like something happens in your mind when you see somebody else do it.

And I can't say I would've played if I wouldn't have seen her playing before me.

- Well, when I was younger,we went to watch Malia, Simarron.

They were like a role model to me, 'cause not a lot of Native Americans, they don't finish, they don't stick it out.

- Nobody had ever done it before, you did it.

You inspired me, which inspired lots of other people.

- It's a honor, it's a privilege to be that person, and I think younger females deserve hope and inspiration.

(light music) Every generation needs to continue to have a positive impact on the next generation.

And you have to lose to know how to win.

- She played basketball for the Griz, and she went to school, got her education.

She saw what she wanted, and she grabbed it.

Younger people still look up to her as a role model.

(light music) - And Native people are resilient people, overcoming a lot of hardships and losses and trauma.

Changing the perspective the world has upon us without us really changing ourselves, just continuing to represent who the Creator made us to be.

(light dramatic music) - You know, Earl was always saying, "Don't give up.

Don't give up.

Whatever you do, don't give up.

If you get knocked down, get back up."

She did it.

She finished what she set out to do.

(Earl speaking Native language) In our Blackfeet language, (speaking Native language) means try hard.

She tried, and she did it.

(upbeat music) (crowd cheering) - [Announcer] Malia Kipp!

(upbeat music continues) - In regards to the professor telling me that he didn't think I was smart enough to continue with sports medicine, I would like to introduce myself now.

I am a nurse, a tribal health nurse, in what has been, my specialty is geriatrics.

So, that is being a community health nurse strictly for the elders in the community.

I'm giving back to those that gave back to me.

This is my family.

Whether it's here in Browning or it's on another reservation.

(upbeat music) First shot.

(both laughing) - Sometimes it's hard to believe she's our little girl, you know?

Yeah, I'm real proud of her.

Haven't stopped being proud of her.

- I told her a long time ago, "You're my hero."

I said, "Actually, I always look up to you."

(emotional music) (emotional music continues) (Earl chanting in Native language) (Earl chanting in Native language) (Earl chanting in Native language)