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This past October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that represented a profoundly important moment.

It was the maiden journey of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an event that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a program that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an initiative aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “beginning of dialogue” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

Global Outreach

This past July, he travelled to France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance developed alongside and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised travel, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices declined under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

The initiative commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was exploring how to bring back ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the authorities and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve wood collection, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project worked to bring back heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to enhance cultural identity and regional collaboration.

So far, the team has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and facilitated the construction or restoration of approximately thirty vessels – from the southern region to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where tree loss has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

“In other places, they often work with modern composites. Locally, we can still work with whole trees,” he states. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The boats constructed under the Kenu Waan Project merge Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching navigation and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time these subjects are offered at graduate studies. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

He traveled with the members of the Fijian vessel, the Fijian canoe that traveled to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he says. “We’re restoring the sea as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure travelled to Nice, France to present a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and overseas representatives, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and community involvement.

“It’s essential to include these communities – especially fishing communities.”

Contemporary Evolution

Now, when sailors from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, adjust the structure and ultimately navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place there? The canoe serve as a method to start that conversation.”