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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an occasion that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

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

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative aimed at reconnecting local Kanak populations with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also help the “start of conversation” around sea access rights and ecological regulations.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for marine policies shaped with and by Indigenous communities that acknowledge their connection to the ocean.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure states. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once symbolised movement, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions faded under colonisation and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the administration and after two years the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was launched.

“The biggest challenge wasn’t wood collection, it was gaining local support,” he says.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project worked to bring back heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to enhance traditional heritage and island partnerships.

To date, the group has produced an exhibition, published a book and supported the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Natural Resources

Different from many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“There, they often work with marine plywood. In our location, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “This creates a significant advantage.”

The boats created under the Kenu Waan Project combine Polynesian hull design with regional navigation methods.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching navigation and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are included at master’s level. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve cried tears of joy while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Throughout the region, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re reclaiming the maritime heritage together.”

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure travelled to Nice, France to present a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and overseas representatives, he advocated for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and community involvement.

“We must engage local populations – most importantly fishing communities.”

Contemporary Evolution

Currently, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, modify the design and finally sail side by side.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are connected.

“It’s all about community participation: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and what authority governs what occurs on it? Heritage boats is a way to start that conversation.”