“8 Cows” is a term referencing the short film “Johnny Lingo,” produced by the LDS Church in 1969. It is a simple tale with a mighty message. In the movie, Johnny Lingo is a respected and successful Polynesian trader who returns to his home island to bargain for a wife. The woman he desires is Mahana, a timid and unkempt woman who is mocked by neighbors, and even her own father.
According to island tradition, a suitor and the woman’s father come to an agreement on the number of cows to be exchanged for her hand in marriage. Mahana’s father, Moki, says she is not even worth a single “three-legged cow” and that he would gladly pay Lingo a cow to take the girl off his hands.
On bargaining day, the married women in the village compare and brag about the number of cows their husbands had exchanged for them. Meanwhile, Moki’s plan is to ask for three cows with the hope that Lingo will at least give him one cow.
According to island tradition, a suitor and the woman’s father come to an agreement on the number of cows to be exchanged for her hand in marriage. Mahana’s father, Moki, says she is not even worth a single “three-legged cow” and that he would gladly pay Lingo a cow to take the girl off his hands.
On bargaining day, the married women in the village compare and brag about the number of cows their husbands had exchanged for them. Meanwhile, Moki’s plan is to ask for three cows with the hope that Lingo will at least give him one cow.
