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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that represented a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in living memory, an gathering that assembled the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has spearheaded a initiative that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been built in an effort designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

Global Outreach

In July, he travelled to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance developed alongside and by local tribes that acknowledge their connection to the ocean.

“Our ancestors always traveled by water. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions diminished under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was considering how to reintroduce heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure partnered with the government and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The hardest part didn’t involve wood collection, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The program aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to enhance cultural identity and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the team has created a display, released a publication and enabled the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other island territories where tree loss has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“In other places, they often employ marine plywood. Locally, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The boats built under the program integrate Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Educational Expansion

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and traditional construction history at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time these subjects are offered at advanced education. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve navigated major waters on these vessels. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that traveled to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, from Fiji to here, this represents a unified effort,” he states. “We’re taking back the sea collectively.”

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure visited the European location to present a “Traditional understanding of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and overseas representatives, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Kanak custom and participation.

“It’s essential to include them – most importantly those who live from fishing.”

Contemporary Evolution

Today, when mariners from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – visit Lifou, they study canoes together, refine the construction and ultimately voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who determines what occurs on it? Heritage boats serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”