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This past October on the island of Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the lagoon – a simple gesture that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a heritage boat on Lifou in generations, an gathering that assembled the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has led a project that aims to revive heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been constructed in an effort designed to reconnect 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

During the summer month of July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance shaped with and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices faded under colonial rule and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to reintroduce heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as Kenu Waan project – was born.

“The most difficult aspect wasn’t cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he says.

Program Successes

The initiative aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to enhance cultural identity and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the team has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and enabled the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other Pacific islands where deforestation has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often work with synthetic materials. Locally, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “This creates all the difference.”

The canoes built under the program merge Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching navigation and ancestral craft methods at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion this knowledge are taught at graduate studies. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

He voyaged with the team of the Fijian vessel, the heritage craft that traveled to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he explains. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure visited the European location to present a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he had discussions with Macron and government representatives.

Addressing official and foreign officials, he pushed for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

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

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, adjust the structure and finally sail side by side.

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

Integrated Mission

In his view, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who is entitled to move across the sea, and what authority governs what occurs in these waters? The canoe is a way to initiate that discussion.”