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During the autumn month of October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a small act that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in living memory, an occasion that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a project that aims to revive heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been built in an effort designed to reconnect native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

In July, he visited France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for maritime regulations shaped with and by local tribes that recognise their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented movement, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices diminished under colonial rule and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the government and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The most difficult aspect was not harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The program aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to reinforce traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the organization has created a display, published a book and facilitated the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other Pacific islands where deforestation has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for carving large hulls.

“In other places, they often use modern composites. Locally, we can still craft from natural timber,” he states. “This creates a significant advantage.”

The boats constructed under the Kenu Waan Project merge traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“This marks the initial occasion this knowledge are taught at graduate studies. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

He traveled with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, including our location, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re restoring the ocean collectively.”

Political Engagement

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to the French city to present a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and international delegates, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on local practices and community involvement.

“You have to involve these communities – particularly those who live from fishing.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when sailors from various island nations – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, modify the design and finally voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

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

“It’s all about public engagement: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who decides what occurs on it? Heritage boats serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”