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This past October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a simple gesture that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an gathering that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has spearheaded a program that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their maritime heritage. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

Global Outreach

This past July, he travelled to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance shaped with and by Indigenous communities that honor their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always navigated the ocean. We forgot that knowledge for a time,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once stood for movement, trade and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices diminished under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Heritage Restoration

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the authorities and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as Kenu Waan project – was born.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve wood collection, it was gaining local support,” he says.

Project Achievements

The program aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, train young builders and use canoe-making to strengthen cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

So far, the group has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and supported the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

In contrast to many other island territories where forest clearing has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often work with synthetic materials. Here, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The vessels constructed under the Kenu Waan Project merge oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Teaching Development

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing navigation and heritage building techniques at the local university.

“It’s the first time these subjects are taught at graduate studies. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

He voyaged with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re reclaiming the sea collectively.”

Policy Advocacy

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to Nice, France to introduce a “Kanak vision of the ocean” when he met with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and foreign officials, he advocated for shared maritime governance based on local practices and local engagement.

“You have to involve local populations – especially fishing communities.”

Contemporary Evolution

Currently, when navigators from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, adjust the structure and ultimately sail side by side.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, teaching navigation and promoting conservation measures are connected.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and what authority governs what happens on it? The canoe function as a means to begin that dialogue.”