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This past October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the lagoon – a simple gesture that represented a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in living memory, an occasion that united the island’s main family lineages in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has led a project that works to resurrect traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an project aimed at reconnecting local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

Global Outreach

In July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations shaped with and by local tribes that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, trade and tribal partnerships across islands, but those customs declined under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was exploring how to bring back heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure partnered with the government and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, train young builders and use vessel construction to enhance community pride and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the team has produced an exhibition, released a publication and supported the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has reduced lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often work with synthetic materials. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “That represents all the difference.”

The boats constructed under the initiative integrate traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are offered at master’s level. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

He traveled with the team of the Fijian vessel, the Pacific vessel that traveled to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he explains. “We’re restoring the ocean as a community.”

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to Nice, France to present a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and foreign officials, he argued for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

“We must engage them – especially people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when navigators from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, refine the construction and finally voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The core concept concerns community participation: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs what happens in these waters? Heritage boats is a way to initiate that discussion.”