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In October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was set afloat in the lagoon – a small act that marked a highly meaningful moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in living memory, an event that united the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

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

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

Global Outreach

During the summer month of July, he visited France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for maritime regulations shaped with and by Indigenous communities that acknowledge their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Canoes hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices declined under colonial rule and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was exploring how to reintroduce traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and two years later the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

“The hardest part didn’t involve wood collection, it was persuading communities,” he says.

Program Successes

The program sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to enhance traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

Up to now, the team has produced an exhibition, published a book and facilitated the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Different from many other Pacific islands where deforestation has diminished lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often work with synthetic materials. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “That represents all the difference.”

The vessels created under the initiative combine traditional boat forms with regional navigation methods.

Educational Expansion

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are included at advanced education. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

He traveled with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re reclaiming the sea as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and overseas representatives, he argued for cooperative sea policies based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include local populations – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Contemporary Evolution

Today, when navigators from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats together, adjust the structure and finally voyage together.

“It’s not about duplicating the traditional forms, we help them develop.”

Integrated Mission

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“It’s all about how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and who decides what occurs there? Heritage boats serve as a method to start that conversation.”