BROWNING, EAST GLACIER and MISSOULA — Basketball on Montana’s Native American reservations is a passion that cannot be understated because of what it means to those who live there.
In the early 1990s, the town of Browning on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was the home to one Barbarba Malia Kipp, a tall, lanky athlete who would break barriers in the Treasure State.
“Malia talked how resilient the Native people are, the Browning people with lots of obstacles to overcome, and I think they all represent Browning well and it's just one of those things that, for me, they made my life better because I've got to know them," former Montana Lady Griz head coach Robin Selvig said.
On Dec. 31, just before the New Year, Kipp tragically passed away. She was 50.
Much like her impact in life, her death created a ripple effect across all corners of Montana and the U.S. from those who were inspired by her story.
Kipp became the first Montana tribal member to play NCAA Division I women’s basketball on a full-ride scholarship when she was signed by Selvig to play for the Montana Lady Griz in Missoula in 1992.
When she arrived at the University of Montana, she hit the court running. Her teammates, fans and coaches knew immediately they were witnessing history.
“Standing in here now I can remember the buses full of kids coming from Browning to watch Malia play," Selvig said. "And she had a lot of courage.”
Simarron Schildt grew up in East Glacier and also played high school ball in Browning, and in the late '90s followed in Kipp's footsteps to Missoula.
“She was pretty legendary around here," Schildt said. "I would hear about her. There was a poster that I saw everywhere in her Browning letterman (jacket) and they, I think on that poster, they called her one in a million. And I remember that really sticking with me.
"She, I think, made it more possible for me to do what I did.”
Although Schildt never saw Kipp play as a Lady Griz, the two met where you'd might expect: the basketball court.
“We played at a basketball tournament in Ronan," Schildt recalled. "We had played a couple tournaments together. The only thing I remember about that whole tournament is her throwing me the most perfect pass at the at the last second and me hitting the winning shot.”
The two became even more connected in recent years, as Kipp was featured in a PBS documentary called Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer.
The award-winning documentary introduced new fans to Kipp's story, as the program also featured Schildt and fellow Browning athletes and former Lady Griz Tamara Guardipee and Shanae Gilham.
The women explained the challenge of transitioning to life on a reservation to one in larger city in Montana, and they credit Malia for paving the way for female Native athletes.
“I think it hits you on a really deep level," Schildt said. "That's almost like on a subconscious or unconscious level. When you see somebody from your area doing it, it makes it possible for you. Somebody who looks like you, somebody who has the same background, somebody who has similar families, economic, everything. It just it opens the door for you in a way that I don't think other things do.”
Even for Kipp’s non-Native teammates, it was a learning experience.
“We're all from Montana, but we're not all from the same place," former Lady Griz Megan Harrington said. "A small town is also different than Missoula, you know, the city. But then the tribal community on top of that is another level of difference.
"She talked about stereotypes in the film. She talked about the burdens carrying living in two worlds. All these things I just wasn't aware of."
Harrington co-produced the film about her teammate knowing Native Ball would shine a light on Kipp's journey and the challenge she overcame.
“Resilience. Perseverance. Kindness. Someone who believed in what she could do and did it," Harrington said of Kipp. "But she knew that she was able to do it first of all, because she believed. But secondly, because her family, the Blackfeet Nation, the community of Missoula, and the extended communities helped raise her up and make it happen, that was never lost on her.
"The power of people and community really rings true in her story, and it was always about other people. But she is a hero.”
"It was a feeling like I can't really describe. Like, I feel like it changed me to be able to sit there and talk to those women because I had so many lingering questions about why I felt the way I did playing college basketball and why I felt so different from the other women," Schildt recalled about the documentary. "There was something that healed, I think, in during that conversation and then later on getting to know them more and feeling more connected because we had had a very similar experience.”
Kipp quickly became part of the Lady Griz dynasty under Selvig.
Another teammate, Krista Redpath, was a freshman during Kipp's senior year. Kipp offered to let Redpath live with her, also acting as a mentor to the young player.
“I spent a lot of time with her," Redpath recalled. "I was blocked a lot in practice from her and had some real tearful moments as a freshman just adjusting to Division I basketball on both ends of the floor, and Malia was always offering up a kind statement of encouragement or something to keep me going. And it was just a special relationship that we developed.”
The memories for all on and off the court flooded in, as the Lady Griz reunited to celebrate Kipp's life earlier this month back in Browning.
“There were always kids following her around and asking her for autographs, and she was definitely the most famous Lady Griz in terms of having people ask for her autographs," Redpath said. "She was pioneering at a time when she was all alone and she was creating that path, and so I hope that her legacy continues to inspire young children on the reservation or not on the reservation.”
Kipp’s towering force and impact will live forever in Montana.
She leaves a lasting legacy of humility, kindness and friendship as someone with a warrior spirit who will be deeply missed by those who knew her best.
“She inspired me then. She still inspires me. She was an amazing human being," Schildt said. "She was just really special. She was very, very kind and loving. The world needs more people like her. She was a very special spirit and she'll be very missed.”
