NARRATOR: Not everything is known about the history of the South Pacific.
When I sailed to the islands I took along a notebook
to fill with descriptions of the people and places I visited.
But the only story that still interests me is the one told
by a soft-spoken, serious young man
who welcomed me into his home.
His story began the evening of a terrible storm.
(THUNDER CRACKS)
In those days, many of the islanders still looked to the old gods for protection.
So while the wind and the rains raged outside,
they huddled around their chief praying for a miracle.
(BABY CRYING)
(CRYING)
The Council has decided that this child is a gift from the gods.
The question is, which god?
After much reflection
I believe the child was sent by the God of Blessedness.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
Therefore, he will be brought up as my son.
And will become the future chief of Malio Island.
(ALL EXCLAIMING)
Husband, what is it you are saying?
You already have a son. Our son!
The child will be schooled in our tradition
and prepared by the elders to one day take over the role of chief.
Pua, my son.
This child will one day be a great chief,
esteemed by all island peoples.
I name him Tamariki O Tangaroa.
(ALL LAUGHING)
He's peeing on the Chief.
Husband, already the child is raining his blessings on you.
Yes, it may be true that the infant has been favored
by the gods to survive such a storm.
But, I still question by which god.
But it was your husband that said that...
Oh, surely, you do not consider the storm to be a good sign?
There's another.
Look at the strange mark on the child's bottom.
This hideous red mark
is as red as flaming fire,
fire that consumes everything that it touches.
And only the God of Mischief
would send such a child straight from the pit of the underworld.
NARRATOR: Three years of hate-filled gossip about the boy
had finally taken its toll.
The Chief assembled the Council of Elders
and reluctantly denounced Tama as his son and heir to his title.
Is there anyone else willing to take Tama in?
Chief,
I could do with some help.
Pull, boy, pull!
We'll make a fisherman out of you yet.
Good boy!
NARRATOR: In the years that followed,
Tama tried hard to become a good fisherman,
hoping that this could be the home and family he'd always longed for.
(GIGGLING)
When the fisherman and his wife had a baby of their own,
Tama's fears about being passed to another family returned.
So he made a plan that would take him across the waves
to Malio's homeland and paradise.
BOY: I see something! It's coming from over there!
It's Tama! Let's go get him!
Keeping it a secret from the island bullies was the biggest challenge.
Hurry! He's getting away!
There, you go that way.
I got him!
(GRUNTS)
(LAUGHS)
You're nothing but a weakling.
And you and your slimy friends are uglier than the eels I catch.
We'll see who's uglier once we get finished with you!
(GRUNTS)
Let's get out of here!
I'll tell you one thing! I'm telling on you!
Hey! Hey you!
Climb any further and you'll end up like your friends.
They're not my friends, stupid.
Ow!
Don't call me stupid, stupid.
Can I just have my pack?
Why are you carrying a woman's comb in your pack?
Just give me my bag, nosy!
I know, those boys were after you because you're a thief.
I'm not a thief!
Those boys hate me because I'm bad!
And you'll find out how bad if you don't throw down my pack!
(GRUNTS)
They don't like me either.
Maybe I'm bad, too.
(BABY CRYING)
(SCREAMING)
My baby!
Save my baby!
(SOBBING)
(SOBBING) My baby!
Rewa! It's your baby!
If the boy was where he was supposed to be,
he could have prevented the fire.
I'm sorry, my Chief,
but I have to think of my family.
If no one else is prepared to take Tama in
then he will be returned to the ocean waves that brought him here,
never to be seen again.
Father. Huh?
Perhaps Tama could help me with my chores.
(GROANS)
I speak for my father who is not feeling well today.
We'll take him.
Children are not allowed to speak at council meetings!
I doubt we'd understand her kava-addled father anyway.
We'll... We'll take the boy.
Uh, my, uh,
good-for-nothing daughter is right.
An extra pair of hands would be, uh, useful.
(GRUNTS)
(HUMMING)
Hey!
If that stacking isn't finished by sunset,
there'll be no food for the both of you.
He always says that, but most of the time I eat.
Great.
And if it wasn't for your meddling I'd be off this island by now.
You'd have died if they'd cast you adrift.
Anything would be better than living with the island drunk and his ugly daughter.
(CHUCKLING)
I remember when they found you.
"Gift of the gods."
The Chief spoke over you with such pride,
claiming you as his own son.
(LAUGHING)
Yeah, well, look at you now,
slaving away for me, Pioi,
the most unfortunate man on the island.
And you know why?
Father, please.
Because of her!
My beautiful wife, Lalani died
giving birth to Mahana.
At least you could've inherited her beauty.
You're plain, and utterly unattractive.
I'll be lucky to get two tough chickens as a wedding dowry for you.
This kindling is far too expensive.
(CHATTERING)
Where have you been, Tama? We missed you on the beach.
He's been spending time with his new girlfriend.
(GIRLS LAUGHING)
I thought I was your girlfriend.
I was just saving my first kiss for you.
(LAUGHING)
I'd rather kiss a slimy eel than put my lips on yours, Miriama.
(LAUGHS)
Shut up, Mahana, you ugly!
Why don't you ever comb your hair?
Because she couldn't get one through that rat's nest.
I like her hair. It's sort of...
wild. Yeah, wild like the sea.
A very stormy sea that'll make you throw up.
Well, at least my hair doesn't smell like someone's thrown up on it.
Well, at least we've remembered to wash.
Poo! You smell like a pig.
And you look like a pig.
(LAUGHING)
The only pig around here is the one that squeals like one. Now scat!
(SCREAMING)
They're right. My hair is ugly.
The only thing pretty about those three
are the flowers they have in their hair.
(GIGGLES)
You don't need it.
It's been a long time since anyone came.
I'm going for a swim.
What if my father finds out?
Who cares?
Come on! Beat you in!
(SHOUTING)
(BOTH LAUGHING)
(SCREAMS)
Hey, look what I found. A wishbone.
What did you wish for?
If I tell you then it won't come true.
Please?
You know the rules.
I know what you wished for.
To push rotten fruit into the faces of Miriama and her friends.
Yes, but I have other dreams too.
Hey, I'm sorry about your mother.
I'm not.
Well, at least she doesn't have to see what a worthless daughter she had.
I don't think you're worthless.
And if I could, I'd give your father
three very plump chickens as a wedding dowry.
You are both as thick as the wood you chop.
(SHOUTS)
You.
You're the cause of all my troubles.
You brought a curse to this island.
The night they found you was the same night my beautiful Lalani died!
And you!
It's your fault I took this stupid boy in!
Get out! Get out!
Get back where you belong!
Stop, Father! You're hurting him!
(GRUNTS)
(SOBBING)
(WHIMPERING)
(SOBBING) Mahana.
I don't know what I would do without you.
I'm gonna leave this place. Do you want to come with me?
Where?
Out there. Beyond the waves,
where no one can hurt us.
Malio's homeland? Do you really believe there is such a place?
If there is, we'll find it.
But we have no boat.
Did you steal these things?
No, I borrowed them.
Don't worry, Mahana.
Tomorrow, the ocean will take us away from here.
(SNORES)
(MUMBLING IN SLEEP)
Let's hurry, come on!
Where are your things?
I can't go.
What do you mean?
If I go, who will look after my father?
Forget your father. He's a mean drunk.
But he's still my father.
Then I'll stay.
No, go. Find Malio's homeland.
But promise me that
you won't forget me.
Wait.
This was with me when I was found.
I think it was my mother's.
One day I'll come back to take care of you.
I promise.
(GASPING)
(GRUNTS)
Yeah!
Yes!
I'll search the horizon every day.
NARRATOR: When one glances at a map of the Pacific,
its thousands of islands seem to crowd on one another.
Tama found out that between these islands
there were lonely wide stretches of open ocean.
How's the boy doing?
Looks like he's starting to stir. I'll be back.
Am I in heaven?
Not quite.
You are lucky you washed up when you did.
Here. Drink this.
It is the juice of the noni.
It will bring the blood back into your cheeks.
So,
if I'm not dead, then you're not a demon?
(CHUCKLES) My former wives will say that I am.
But, no. I am quite human.
Everyone here calls me Chief Steward.
I will have some clothes brought to you.
Well, you must be the most fortunate boy in all of the Pacific
to have ended up here in the home of the great Johnny Lingo.
Johnny who?
Johnny Lingo. The wealthiest trader in all the islands.
Where have you been, boy, that you've never heard of him?
Well, quickly now. You get dressed.
I'll be back to take you to meet him.
(GIGGLING)
I'll see you after dinner.
(GIGGLING)
NARRATOR: Tama's mind was full of questions.
But unfortunately, he had learned that some adults could not be trusted.
He wondered if Johnny Lingo would be any different.
So he kept quiet,
by doing what comes naturally to most twelve-year-olds.
I'm glad to see you have an appetite.
You must be feeling better.
It's a very unusual sea vessel you arrived on.
Did you build it yourself?
The question is, what were the circumstances that brought you here?
For all we know, he could be a runaway.
Runaway? No, no, you see...
I was sailing. Yeah, that...
Yeah, that's right. It's slowly coming back to me.
I was sailing with other boys from our small but wealthy island.
Sounds wonderfully idyllic.
Yes. Yes, it was.
Whatever that means.
Anyway, we had just sailed beyond the waves
when suddenly a big storm came out of nowhere.
And, well, here I am.
Here you are.
The question is, where is this small but extremely wealthy island?
Well.
When the winds ripped my sail off,
the mast swung around and hit my head so hard I can't remember.
Really?
Yes.
Really.
Not a thing.
Maybe your memory will come back over time.
Maybe.
Well, since you're with us a while longer,
tomorrow, I'll start to show you around our island.
♪ Pretty lady on my mind
♪ Got me gone again
♪ She tell me it's all in a line
♪ And it's on again
♪ But I won't worry I'll be free
♪ Yeah
♪ I'll be the only child of the love I see
♪ I've been known to take my time
♪ I've been told that I'm all right
♪ I don't know if I'm your kind
♪ All I know is that you are
♪ On my mind
♪ You're on mind
NARRATOR: This had to be the paradise of Tama's dreams.
But he wasn't so sure about Johnny Lingo.
That boy is a long way from home.
Malio, to be specific.
I wouldn't quite describe it as idyllic.
So, the boy is a liar and a runaway.
What's he running from, I wonder.
Trouble. And that is all he will bring.
I disagree.
Now, there's a treasure hidden deep within everyone.
The adventure is to discover it.
Where's your spirit of adventure?
You do not have the strength for these sorts of adventures anymore.
Weren't we once wayward boys, too?
There is a great difference between being an orphan and a lying runaway.
Yes, but both are driven by a will to survive.
You have to agree the boy's a survivor.
Leave him survive somewhere else.
We should take him back to Malio.
It'd be an interesting challenge.
What is the challenge?
To take a common stone and polish it into a valuable gem.
The polishing this boy will need will take far too much time.
It'll be entertaining.
(SIGHS)
I'm going to bed.
Put that over here.
From our latest voyage.
Now, the real value of this cargo is what it can do to help people.
Help people?
Yeah, you see those men over there?
They used to be slaves. Now they're free.
I bought their freedom. They work for what they earn.
They can come and go as they please.
You see, Tama, riches should be used for the benefit of others.
I don't understand.
I hope one day you will.
What you see before you has taken a lifetime to acquire.
When I was a little older than you I was taught to value such things above all else.
I see you've already begun to collect your own treasure.
These animals are like huge grazing coconuts.
But their milk is much richer.
They'll produce a herd one day,
which I believe will be worth more than my entire treasury.
(MOOING)
Huh?
They're known as cows. They're really quite harmless.
I don't care what you say. I'm not coming down!
Well, perhaps when you become a little more confident
you can learn to take care of them.
Well, at least he can't get into any trouble up there.
(PANTING)
(SONG PLAYING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Wake up! Get dressed and come with me!
Did you leave the gate open when you left the cow paddock?
No.
Cows might be smarter than little boys,
but they don't know how to open gates.
Because of your carelessness, the cow got out
and ate fireweed, and now it is sick.
I didn't let it out!
Tama, don't be afraid to admit it when you have made a mistake.
It's part of growing up.
It doesn't matter what I say!
No one ever believes me anyway!
Ah, let him run.
We're better off without him.
I told you the boy was trouble.
The cow will be fine.
The boy made a mistake.
He left the gate open because he was daydreaming.
His mind is definitely somewhere else. He's hiding something.
I've often seen him fingering that woven band he wears.
It's obviously something to do with his past.
For someone who's suffering from memory loss,
he sure spends a lot of time thinking about it.
Well, what do you suggest we do?
Send him back to Malio. Let them deal with him.
I've got an even better idea.
Why don't I just hand him over to you?
The boy is good for nothing. Why bother?
Why can't you just admit you were wrong?
Have patience, my friend.
Our path to manhood wasn't so easy.
We made our share of mistakes.
Or is your memory going as well as the boy's?
Mmm.
Ugh.
(GRUNTING)
I caught him. Tried to flee in one of your canoes.
I'm sorry, Johnny.
Why, boy?
Haven't I fed you, given you full run of the island?
Until you found something to blame on me,
then you just traded me away like everyone else, to a bully like him.
You little...
Yes, I am a trader.
Maybe we could settle this whole affair with a simple exchange.
I will trade all you have taken from me for your woven band.
I don't want your gold.
This is worth more than all of it, and your stupid cows.
So why is this band so valuable?
It was given to me by the only person who has ever cared about me.
By a girl. On Malio Island?
Yes.
I promised I'll go back to take care of her, and I will.
Well, well. True love.
Something unfortunately that has escaped me.
As you rightly say, a treasure more valuable than gold.
It could be just another one of his stories.
Johnny. He broke the law.
Although your intentions were honorable, your actions were not.
Therefore under our law you will be bound to this island
to work off the debt for a period of no less than seven years.
Seven years? I'll be an old man!
Or we could set him afloat as shark bait.
The choice is yours, Tama. What will it be?
I will work off my debt.
About the girl.
If you truly value this girl,
you must choose wisely how you show it.
Caring for her with stolen goods
would not demonstrate her true worth.
No, love is a most costly commodity.
The more you're willing to pay, the more valuable the prize.
The question is, are you willing to pay the price?
You understand me?
Yes.
See? You're already becoming wiser.
You may go.
Oh, uh...
I'm glad your memory seems to be returning.
Since you have such sticky fingers,
you should be great at picking the fruit of the noni.
And when you've finished this tree,
I am sure I will be able to find you another.
Since it is my job to squeeze the god of mischief out of you,
by the end of today you will know what an impossible task I have been given.
NARRATOR: Work, work and more work
was the Chief Steward's prescription for what he thought ailed the boy.
Life in paradise was beginning to feel a little too familiar to Tama.
Only three more barrels to go.
(SIGHS)
Since you like gold trinkets so much.
And when you're finished these, there is always more.
But let me warn you, every item has been carefully written down,
so don't even think of taking so much as a gold coin.
Since... Let me guess.
Since I got caught I have to mend the nets.
That's right, boy.
I must be a great teacher.
(LAUGHS)
I thought you could use this about now.
Why does he have to be so mean?
Oh, he is working you hard.
But I know it's for your benefit.
I wish I never landed on this stupid island.
Hey, with that kind of attitude,
the next seven years are going to go by very slowly.
Your father must be a great fisherman.
I don't have a father.
I was passed from family to family
and happened to go through the house of a fisherman.
He taught me a few things and mending nets is one of them.
But everyone has a father.
On Malio, they believe I came from the gods.
But not a good one.
And what do you believe?
I think it's true.
Nothing good in my life ever seems to last.
Everything always turns out bad in the end.
Now, listen.
Who do you think brought you safely across the sea to this island?
Who brought you to the home of the great Johnny Lingo?
You stop listening to their lies, Tama.
And start believing you came from a good and great god.
Your life will soon change.
At least the boy is not a quitter.
Oh! Well done. We'll have those for dinner.
Ah!
With fish that large, we'll have to invite company.
NARRATOR: Tama proved to be very inventive.
Especially when it came to saving himself some work.
I hope you're not planning on taking another trip.
Not for another six years.
You mind showing me how it works?
You want to try?
Yes.
You want to take off your shirt?
No.
I'll be all right.
(GRUNTS)
(LAUGHING)
(GRUNTING)
(LAUGHING)
(ALL LAUGHING)
(SIGHS)
Although the boat is light and fast,
it will only go where the wind will blow you.
You want to be a great trader,
you must learn how to use the wind.
Rather than being at the mercy of the wind
I use it to take me wherever I want to go.
But the ocean is so big.
How do you know where you're going?
And what do you point the boat toward?
You have to find something to guide your course, Tama.
Something that never changes,
like the sun, the moon and the stars.
Our ancestors used the stars to find their way to islands
all across the Pacific.
(GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: And so it was that the boy became a man,
and Tama found his place in the household of the great Johnny Lingo.
(LAUGHING)
Where's my bride?
I haven't told her yet.
Friends!
I am happy to announce
it is my intention to barter with Pioi
for his daughter Mahana's hand in marriage.
(ALL LAUGHING)
You are lucky.
Mahana's dowry should only cost you two chickens.
A lunch for a wife.
Now, that's not a bad barter.
(GUFFAWING)
(COUGHING)
(ALL EXPRESSING DISGUST)
My father!
(CHOKING) My son.
Mahana, it's about time something good happened to you.
Remember, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
Congratulations, Mahana, we never thought you'd be getting married before us.
Two plump chickens for my little Mahana.
Father, how can you do this?
Ah, it must be love!
How did she know raw eggs were my favorite?
Well, at least with Rata as a husband you won't go hungry.
I've taken care of you all these years and this is how you repay me?
I was only thinking of your happiness.
You are more concerned about yourself than you are about me.
Barter as much as you like, I'm not going to marry that pig!
What are you waiting for?
Do you really think some handsome chief's son
is going to sail to our shores and marry you?
Just look at yourself.
Who could love you?
Are you sure you just want to go alone with the boy?
I would feel much better about this trip if you took your normal crew.
Yes, it is time to test him.
You have said he's much more reliable.
He's had to be. I have kept a tight rein on him.
Well, let's give the boy more rope, see how he fares.
What of you, my friend? What of your health?
How will you fare?
That's the Orion's belt, the Seven Sisters,
and that's the Southern Cross.
NARRATOR: As they traded across the Pacific,
Tama learned why Johnny Lingo was a friend to all the island people.
Johnny's trust in Tama was rewarded
as he proved himself to be a worthy apprentice.
It's been a long time.
I'm looking forward to our trade.
Our people's health has benefited enormously
from the noni plant found on your island.
Yes. The noni is a treasure.
Now, I hope you will not disappoint me.
I need something unique for the dowry of my son's bride-to-be.
The boy must pay for his carelessness!
Forgive my young apprentice for his stupidity.
I can assure you it was an innocent mistake.
The gods must be appeased. The drink is an offering to them.
Your piglet might as well have spat in their faces!
Please, choose what you will.
The gods are not impressed with earthly possessions.
Only a life will satisfy their thirst for justice.
But there must be something in my treasury that would satisfy the gods' appetite.
I have heard that you have animals on your island
that have the ability to produce the sweetest milk.
A cow would certainly be an enviable dowry for your future daughter-in-law.
Perhaps the gods would be pleased with such a trade.
So be it.
I will deliver the animal personally on my next trip.
Very well, the boy will stay here until you return.
That is impossible.
The canoe needs at least two to sail it on such a long voyage.
I will have a hostage or the trade is off!
Then let me stay.
I am too old to sail the vessel alone.
No, no. It was my mistake. I will stay.
Someone is going to stay.
The other needs to be back here with the beast by the next full moon,
or blood will be spilled.
But what if I don't make it back in time?
What if you're... I am killed?
Then you will have to take care of the Chief Steward for the rest of his days.
But why would you do such a thing for me?
Because I believe in you.
I will stay. Now go.
Before the chief changes his mind and we both stay here permanently.
I won't let you down.
(BLOWS)
Get the ropes!
Where's Johnny?
What have you done with Johnny?
Johnny's being held for ransom.
I've come to get a cow to trade for his life.
You want me to believe you sailed that canoe back here all on your own?
I don't care what you believe.
All I know is we need to get back before they kill him.
Well, what are we waiting for?
If you're a good enough sailor to get back here on your own,
you can get us back there in time to save Johnny.
I have selected the best cow from Johnny Lingo's herd.
It is my hope that this offering will appease the gods
and bless your son's marriage.
We accept your offerings.
You have proven yourself to be a man of honor.
The gods are indeed pleased.
Did they mistreat you?
They were hospitable.
You would have been missing these.
What took you so long?
Sorry, old friend, you know how I hate to travel.
I thought I'd let him chart the course. You know? Give him enough rope.
He sailed it with total precision.
You would have been proud.
Tomorrow, we travel to Turtle Island for the dowry ceremony.
You will all be there as my honored guests, of course.
NARRATOR: It was the custom in those days
for a young man to give his father-in-law
a gift for his daughter's hand in marriage.
A cow as a marriage dowry.
Never before had a bride been so highly valued in all the islands.
Who are you?
I'm here with Johnny Lingo.
If I've caused any offence, forgive me.
I asked you who you were.
Not who you were here with.
Who are your parents?
I was abandoned in a canoe as an infant and washed up on the islands of Malio.
I don't know my parents.
Turn around.
(EXCLAIMS)
My grandson!
Nearly 20 years ago,
my eldest son and then chief
left our island to present to his wife's people
their firstborn son.
Until this day,
none of them were ever seen again.
(ALL EXCLAIMING)
There can be no mistaking...
He looks just like my eldest son.
Handsome, just like him.
He is the rightful heir to the chieftainship of Turtle Island.
Therefore he must be reinstated
immediately.
(ALL CHATTERING)
You mustn't be afraid.
I'll be here to help you fulfill your birthright.
And what about my uncle?
Oh, he'll be fine.
With the dowry he's received, he'll have wealth and very few cares.
He means a great deal to you, this Johnny Lingo?
It's enough that this old woman
has lived to see the son of her beloved first born.
I am glad you've found a father to love.
Perhaps the gods, in their wisdom
have planned another destiny for you, my grandson.
Wait!
Wait up!
Shark bait, heading this way fast.
Ah, he's all right.
Of course he is.
He's a chief's son.
(ALL CHEERING)
Thank you.
It's good to be home amongst my people.
My family.
And now if you'll excuse me...
I need to speak with Tama.
I'm failing, Tama.
No, you're not. You're just tired.
We shouldn't have come up here. I don't want to be here.
Listen to me. Please.
You know, when I was a boy I was much like you.
Got into all sorts of trouble.
And one day, fortune smiled on me
and I met up with my namesake.
And here lies the beginning of the legend of Johnny Lingo.
Like you, I had been caught doing wrong and was forced to work off my debt.
Somehow, although I knew the punishment was hard,
I knew he cared for me.
And so I worked hard to please him.
When he died he left everything to me.
Including his name.
An offer which I am now extending to you.
You're not going to die.
Stop it, Tama. I need you to be strong.
Well, why didn't you tell me? I could have done something.
There's nothing anyone could have done. This is your time, Tama.
And what about the Chief Steward?
He will be as loyal a friend to you as he has been to me.
I'm depending on you.
We're depending on you.
Bring me the chest on the dresser.
I thought it was lost.
Never despise the small things.
They have the potential to become great.
Ulani fixed it for you and made it so it would fit.
Thank you.
Although my namesake was the wisest man I ever knew,
the one thing he did not encourage me to do was to follow my heart.
It is time for you to consider such things.
My wish is that you have a son
to continue the work of Johnny Lingo.
He loved you very much.
I promise never to regard you as shark bait ever again.
I promise never to regard you as the shark.
Well, as the new Johnny Lingo,
what is your first order of business?
Prepare the canoe.
You're going on a voyage.
NARRATOR: Tama now turned his thoughts to Johnny's last request.
So he sent the Chief Steward to find out what had become of Mahana.
I am the Chief Steward of Johnny Lingo,
the greatest trader in all the islands.
We have never been to your island before
because we believed that a cold, dark place like this
had nothing of value to trade.
(PEOPLE MUMBLING)
However, we are humbled to learn
that Malio has not only the most beautiful,
but the most virtuous of all young women in the islands.
(WHOOPING)
Therefore, Johnny Lingo himself intends to travel to your island
and personally select a bride.
(PEOPLE EXCLAIMING EXCITEDLY)
Yes, yes.
We are indeed honored by your visit
and look forward to hosting the celebrated Johnny Lingo.
In fact, we intend welcoming him with a great feast.
ALL: Yes!
Please, accept the juice of the noni
as a gift from Johnny Lingo to the people of Malio Island.
A feast would be the perfect opportunity
for Johnny to select a bride.
(ALL CHEERING)
I wonder if he'll be as handsome as he is rich?
His wealth makes him very attractive to me.
I knew I was destined for greater things than to grow old on this island.
Johnny Lingo is coming for me.
Perhaps if you tidied yourself up a bit,
combed your hair, you could attend the feast.
I'd rather pluck, stuff and eat a peacock than marry one.
And that's the only way I'd sit down to feast with one.
A little peacock would taste good
compared to these weeds you keep feeding me.
Don't comb so hard. Do you want me to be bald on my wedding day?
I don't know why you're bothering. I'm far more beautiful.
The only thing that you have more than me, sister, is years.
I hope you will not find my request at all insulting
but under the circumstances
I respectfully ask that Miriama's betrothal
to your most esteemed son be withdrawn.
Only until after Johnny Lingo's visit, of course.
(CHUCKLES)
A reluctant bride brings shame on both our families.
If this is what you want, so be it.
Pua!
We'll find you a better wife!
WOMAN 1: Please, please, come in and meet my daughter.
CHIEF STEWARD: I'm sure she's very wonderful.
WOMAN 2: My granddaughter would make a dutiful wife.
WOMAN 1: Well, but what about my daughter?
CHIEF STEWARD: No, thank you.
MAN: My daughter or my pig. You choose.
CHIEF STEWARD: Wonderful. She's beautiful.
I will let Johnny know.
You must... WOMAN 3: Hello!
May I come in?
I knew you must be tired after a long day.
So I thought I should bring you something that would really
satisfy a man's appetite.
You know my daughter is the most sought-after young woman on the island.
So I thought if you could introduce her to Johnny first,
I could certainly make it worth your while.
Of that I am sure.
However... I am only following orders.
No more wives. Oh, please. No more wives!
Yesterday, she would have married me.
Today her mother chased me away with a broom.
We were supposed to meet and go for a moonlight walk.
Those walks are never the same when you're on your own.
Her father told me I wasn't even welcome.
No matter how much fish I brought.
The women have gone mad over this Johnny Lingo.
I hope we get to host him at our own welcoming party.
We are honored to welcome the great Johnny Lingo.
You bring much esteem to our humble shores.
We hope after tonight's feast
you will have reason to return to our island often.
Welcome home, Johnny.
Have you seen Mahana?
Nah. Maybe she'll be at the feast tonight.
NARRATOR: No one recognized Tama as the outcast
that had so mysteriously disappeared from their island.
He wondered if Mahana still remembered him
and the promises they had made to one another so long ago.
Silly-looking peacock.
(DRUMS BEATING)
There's one island beauty that's not here tonight.
Come on, let's go.
This is a complete waste of time.
Where's Mahana?
Mahana, my flower, where are you?
Mahana! Marry me!
I don't care if you're the last woman left on this island.
Don't marry me!
(ALL LAUGHING)
Mahana, beautiful Mahana, marry me!
(ALL LAUGHING)
(GRUNTS)
Hurry up! Let's get out of here!
I'm going to get you for this!
Natiti is a real island flower.
NARRATOR: Tama couldn't believe he was now desired
by the very girls who had so cruelly teased him and Mahana as children.
Viane comes from a very good family.
You may consider Miriama slightly attractive,
but virtuous? Huh, no.
Her virtue I would certainly question.
Are you sure we have seen all the eligible young women on the island?
Yes, we have.
There is one other girl.
Unfortunately, she's simple in the head and extremely plain.
I need to see all the women on the island before I can make a decision.
We will visit this girl in the morning.
Good night.
Oh, well.
Even the great Johnny Lingo gets tired after a long journey.
Where's that daughter of yours, Pioi?
I'm so sorry,
but Mahana goes to the headlands every morning at this time to
search the horizon.
It's as if she's, uh, waiting for someone.
She's still waiting for me.
Oh, she's really quite mad.
Pioi, tell our distinguished guest
there is really no point in looking for her.
No. There's no point.
No point at all.
I'll be the judge of that. Please take me to her.
She has no friends, no social skills.
No one ever wants to go and see her and she's always fighting boys.
What are you all doing here? Go away!
Pioi! Where are your daughter's manners?
She's embarrassing us in front of our honored guests.
I don't care if I'm embarrassing you. I'm not coming down.
Mahana, you ugly, come down from that tree now.
Now, if you don't mind, Johnny Lingo would like to speak to the young lady alone.
But she's extremely dangerous.
As your son well knows.
I'll take my chances.
Come on. Come now, let's leave them.
I didn't see you at the feast last night.
Why should you care?
Did it hurt your pride not to have the ugliest girl on the island flaunt herself?
Surely you don't think that of yourself?
Why else would you have come here?
Doesn't being the wife of Johnny Lingo have any appeal to you at all?
No.
Why not?
That cloak might impress all the other island girls, but to me you just look
like a silly-looking peacock.
(CLEARS THROAT)
So what does impress you then?
Certainly not a fat-head like you.
What? I'm not a fat-head. You are.
Yes, you are. No, I'm not.
Yes, you are.
You're as stubborn as those stupid cows I used to look after.
You don't know anything about me.
Mahana? Mahana!
(GRUNTS)
NARRATOR: Tama had intended to tell Mahana who he really was,
but somehow it all went wrong.
I'm not communicating well with her.
She doesn't seem to have any problem communicating with you.
(CHUCKLES)
I can't believe she's not interested in marrying Johnny Lingo.
Ah, it took me years to begin to care for you at all.
You can't expect to come back here
and have her fall in love with you in just one day.
I guess we could be here for longer than I expected.
What am I going to do?
She thinks I'm a fat-head.
(CHUCKLES)
The more I hear about this Mahana the more I like her.
(ALL CLAMORING)
Please! Please!
Johnny will decide today.
But where is he now?
He has gone to wrestle with his decision.
You are all so beautiful
he is finding it even harder than he ever imagined.
I tell you, it is so difficult
it has given him a very sore head.
(ALL EXCLAIMING)
Mahana!
Mahana, will you come out, please?
Fine. I'll wait here till you decide to talk.
I can't come out! You've got my clothes!
All right, then. I'll give you your clothes,
if you'll answer one question for me.
That's not a fair trade!
Johnny Lingo didn't become the greatest trader in all the islands
by not realizing a golden opportunity when he sees one.
All right then.
Leave my clothes and I'll come out.
What do you want?
Why do you go to the headlands every day?
What business is it of yours?
A fat-head like you could never understand.
You made your fortune in trading and tricks.
I've heard stories about the great Johnny Lingo.
You haven't answered my question.
Why do you go to the headlands every day?
Are you looking for someone?
Yes.
But he's never coming back.
No, wait. Wait. Wait.
Wait, tell me.
Please.
I need to know.
A boy left here.
He promised he'd come back.
Every morning and every evening since then
I've searched the horizon waiting for him.
Do you know what it's like
to have your hopes rise with the sun
only to have them crushed each time it sets?
He's a liar like everyone else.
He forgot his promise and I hate him.
Maybe he is dead.
What sort of fool does that make me waiting eight years for a ghost?
I'm sorry he caused you so much pain.
Perhaps the boy never forgot his promise.
I hope one day he can prove that to you.
I have no chance.
We should set sail and let her believe the boy is dead.
Get up.
You did not become Johnny Lingo by being a quitter.
Well, what can I do?
She hates me whether I'm Johnny or Tama.
What did Johnny say?
Love was the most expensive commodity.
The more you are willing to pay, the more valuable the price.
The question is, are you willing to pay the price?
(ALL CHATTERING EXCITEDLY)
A decision has been made.
I am happy to announce that Johnny Lingo has finally made a decision.
In the hope that she will accept him as a worthy husband,
he has resolved to barter for Mahana.
(ALL EXCLAIMING IN SURPRISE)
What?
Mahana! Oh, she's ugly.
The man must be mad.
Mad and blind.
I don't care if he is mad or blind.
What about all the gold and the silk I'll never get to wear?
Well, I'm glad that's all over.
So am I.
NARRATOR: When word reached Mahana
that Johnny Lingo had chosen her as his bride,
she went to the headland thinking of the boy who never returned.
(SONG PLAYING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Johnny Lingo would like to know what you would consider
to be a fair exchange for your daughter's hand.
Although my daughter may not appear to be a great beauty,
she certainly can cook, tend the taro patch,
chop wood and keep a very tidy house.
Yeah, when she's not throwing things at you.
(ALL LAUGHING)
That may be so, but no one can question
Mahana's virtue.
She has been a devoted daughter
all these years to a broken-down father
who does not deserve her loyalty
or her love.
And that kind of devotion
is worth more than any gold.
But even I, Pioi,
a poor and ignorant man,
has heard of the wealth of the great Johnny Lingo.
A story has reached our shores
of a cow
given as a wedding dowry for a bride.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Therefore, I ask for
(COUGHING)
I'm sorry. I don't think I heard you.
Would you repeat that?
(COUGHING)
(STAMMERING) Two cows.
Did I hear you correctly? Did you ask for two cows?
Johnny Lingo is insulted!
Don't you realize that he can have any wife from any of the islands that he wants?
And you ask for two cows?
Johnny Lingo offers eight cows for Mahana!
(COWS MOOING)
(SHOUTING IN JOY)
I release you from your father's bridal agreement.
But you will honor me by keeping the cows.
They will help take care of you and your father.
I hope you are both very happy.
(SIGHS) Try and forget the past.
But why?
Why are you doing this?
A long time ago I made a promise to somebody I cared for very much.
This is my way of keeping that promise.
Why the eight cows?
(EXHALES)
There's one for every year.
My band?
Tama?
Is that you?
Mahana...
I have loved you all my life.
That's for the eight years.
And this...
This is for coming back.
I can't believe Tama is Johnny Lingo. I can't believe that...
Oh, silence, woman!
Please forgive a foolish old man.
The curse that was placed on Tama and Mahana
as children was broken.
Because they'd never stopped believing in one another,
and that's something even a hundred cows can't buy.
Did I get it right?
Yes.
Johnny, come here, your father's busy.
I'm sorry.
You've been more than generous with your time.
I should've gone hours ago.
You'll have to forgive my husband.
He never tires of telling that story.
I could tell it and live it a hundred times more.
Thank you very much, sir.
It's my pleasure.
As we said goodbye that day,
I knew that the legend of Johnny Lingo
would live on forever.
MAN: ♪ I have always loved you
♪ I hope to for a lifetime
♪ The promise made
♪ By this heart of mine
♪ Hold the line
♪ You know one day I will come
♪ I will come for you
WOMAN: ♪ You don't know what it's like
♪ For all your hopes to rise
♪ To see them fall again
♪ With the setting sun
♪ In my heart, you're the one
♪ I know one day you will come
♪ You will come for me
BOTH: ♪ I will comfort you
♪ We will grow old forever
♪ Together in love
♪ To settle in the calm
♪ Following love's frown
♪ It's just you and I
♪ Never let you down
♪ I will never let you down
♪ Tamahana
♪ E he galo koe
♪ I toku loto
♪ Tamahana
♪ It's just you and I
♪ For a lifetime
♪ I will always love you
♪ And not just for this lifetime
♪ The promise made
♪ By this heart of mine
♪ You're the one
♪ I knew one day you would come
♪ And you would come for me
♪ I will comfort you
♪ We will grow old forever
♪ Together in love
♪ To settle in the calm
♪ Following love's frown
♪ It's just you and I
♪ Never let you down
♪ I will never let you down
♪ Tamahana
♪ E he galo koe
♪ I toku loto
♪ Tamahana
♪ It's just you and I
♪ For a lifetime
♪ I will always love you
♪ And not just for this lifetime
♪ The promise made
♪ By this heart of mine
♪ You're the one
♪ I knew one day you would come
♪ And you would come for me
♪ I will comfort you
♪ We will grow old forever
♪ Together in love
♪ To settle in the calm
♪ Following love's frown
♪ It's just you and I
♪ Never let you down
♪ I will never let you down
♪ Tamahana
♪ E he galo koe
♪ I toku loto
♪ Tamahana
♪ It's just you and I
♪ For all time
♪ Tamahana
♪ E he galo koe
♪ I toku loto
♪ Tamahana
♪ It's just you and I
♪ For all time
♪ Tamahana
♪ E he galo koe
♪ I toku loto
♪ Tamahana
♪ It's just you and I
♪ For all time
♪ Tamahana
♪ E he galo koe
♪ I toku loto
♪ Tamahana
♪ It's just you and I