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In October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a seemingly minor event that represented a highly meaningful moment.

It was the maiden journey of a traditional canoe on Lifou in generations, an occasion that united the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has overseen a program that aims to revive heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an initiative aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

In July, he visited France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for maritime regulations shaped with and by local tribes that honor their relationship with the sea.

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

Heritage boats hold profound traditional meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented movement, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices diminished under colonisation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to reintroduce heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the authorities and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as Kenu Waan project – was established.

“The hardest part was not harvesting timber, it was gaining local support,” he explains.

Program Successes

The program aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, train young builders and use vessel construction to reinforce traditional heritage and island partnerships.

To date, the organization has produced an exhibition, released a publication and supported the building or renovation of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other island territories where forest clearing has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“Elsewhere, they often work with synthetic materials. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he says. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The vessels constructed under the Kenu Waan Project combine Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and ancestral craft methods at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are taught at graduate studies. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve experienced profound emotion doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the members of the traditional boat, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

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

Policy Advocacy

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to the European location to introduce a “Kanak vision of the sea” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and international delegates, he advocated for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

“We must engage these communities – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when navigators from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they examine vessels in cooperation, refine the construction and finally navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and advocating environmental policy are interrelated.

“The core concept concerns community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and who determines what occurs in these waters? The canoe serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”