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In October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that assembled the island’s main family lineages in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

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

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an project intended to reunite local Kanak populations with their maritime heritage. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “beginning of dialogue” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

In July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for marine policies developed alongside and by native populations that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We lost that for a time,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical significance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, interaction and tribal partnerships across islands, but those customs faded under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was exploring how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was born.

“The most difficult aspect was not harvesting timber, it was convincing people,” he explains.

Project Achievements

The program sought to revive traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to reinforce traditional heritage and island partnerships.

To date, the team has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and enabled the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often work with synthetic materials. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “That represents a significant advantage.”

The canoes built under the initiative combine Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and traditional construction history at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are included at master’s level. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the members of the Fijian vessel, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Throughout the region, including our location, this represents a unified effort,” he states. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage together.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to share a “Kanak vision of the marine environment” when he met with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and international delegates, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

“It’s essential to include local populations – particularly those who live from fishing.”

Current Development

Currently, when navigators from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they examine vessels in cooperation, adjust the structure and eventually voyage together.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The core concept concerns community participation: what permissions exist to travel ocean waters, and who determines which activities take place there? The canoe function as a means to initiate that discussion.”