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During the autumn month of October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the coastal lagoon – a small act that represented a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the maiden journey of a heritage boat on Lifou in living memory, an gathering that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has spearheaded a program that aims to revive traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been constructed in an initiative intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also help the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

In July, he journeyed to France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for marine policies shaped with and by local tribes that honor their maritime heritage.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We forgot that knowledge for a period,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once symbolised travel, trade and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions declined under colonisation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

“The hardest part was not cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he explains.

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use canoe-making to strengthen traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

So far, the group has organized a showcase, published a book and enabled the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

Different from many other Pacific islands where deforestation has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“In other places, they often work with modern composites. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “That represents all the difference.”

The canoes built under the program integrate oceanic vessel shapes with Melanesian rigging.

Teaching Development

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been instructing navigation and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are offered at master’s level. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he explains. “We’re taking back the sea collectively.”

Policy Advocacy

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to the French city to present a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and foreign officials, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

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

Current Development

Today, when sailors from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and Aotearoa – visit Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, refine the construction and ultimately navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the old models, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

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

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who is entitled to move across the sea, and what authority governs what occurs on it? Traditional vessels is a way to begin that dialogue.”