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This past October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a traditional canoe on Lifou in living memory, an event 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 last eight years, he has led a initiative that seeks to restore ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been built in an project aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he travelled to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a period,” Tikoure states. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised mobility, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those customs diminished under colonial rule and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

His journey started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was looking at 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 Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The hardest part wasn’t harvesting timber, it was convincing people,” he explains.

Program Successes

The program worked to bring back traditional navigation techniques, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to strengthen traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

To date, the organization has created a display, published a book and supported the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from the far south to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other island territories where tree loss has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

“In other places, they often employ modern composites. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “This creates a significant advantage.”

The canoes built under the initiative merge traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Teaching Development

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the local university.

“For the first time ever these subjects are offered at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the heritage craft that traveled to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage collectively.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure visited Nice, France to share a “Kanak vision of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and foreign officials, he advocated for collaborative ocean management based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

“You have to involve local populations – especially those who live from fishing.”

Contemporary Evolution

Now, when mariners from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes together, adjust the structure and eventually navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the ancient designs, we enable their progression.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and who decides what happens on it? Traditional vessels function as a means to begin that dialogue.”