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This past October on the island of Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the turquoise waters – a small act that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the maiden journey of a traditional canoe on Lifou in generations, an event that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a project that seeks to restore heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been constructed in an initiative intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also help the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

In July, he visited France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Forefathers always navigated the ocean. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Canoes hold significant historical meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, interaction and tribal partnerships across islands, but those traditions diminished under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Tradition Revival

This mission commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the government and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was born.

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

Project Achievements

The program sought to revive heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to enhance traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

So far, the organization has organized a showcase, published a book and enabled the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from the far south to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“Elsewhere, they often work with modern composites. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “It makes a crucial distinction.”

The vessels constructed under the program combine traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the University of New Caledonia.

“For the first time ever these subjects are included at advanced education. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve experienced profound emotion while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

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

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, this represents a unified effort,” he explains. “We’re reclaiming the maritime heritage as a community.”

Political Engagement

In July, Tikoure journeyed to the French city to introduce a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he met with Macron and government representatives.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

“You have to involve these communities – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when navigators from across the Pacific – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, refine the construction and finally navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the traditional forms, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, educating sailors and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The core concept concerns public engagement: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place there? Traditional vessels function as a means to begin that dialogue.”