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In October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in generations, an event that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has overseen a project that aims to revive ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been constructed in an project intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around maritime entitlements and ecological regulations.

Diplomatic Efforts

This past July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always traveled by water. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure explains. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

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

Cultural Reclamation

His journey began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to bring back traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he explains.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to enhance community pride and island partnerships.

Up to now, the organization has organized a showcase, published a book and facilitated the building or renovation of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other island territories where tree loss has limited lumber availability, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often use modern composites. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “That represents a significant advantage.”

The boats constructed under the initiative integrate oceanic vessel shapes with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and ancestral craft methods at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are included at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he explains. “We’re reclaiming the sea together.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure visited Nice, France to introduce a “Kanak vision of the ocean” when he met with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and international delegates, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on Kanak custom and participation.

“We must engage local populations – particularly fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Today, when sailors from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they analyze boats together, refine the construction and ultimately voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are interrelated.

“It’s all about community participation: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place on it? Traditional vessels function as a means to begin that dialogue.”