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In October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a heritage boat on Lifou in generations, an gathering that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a rare show of unity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has led a program that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure states the boats also promote the “beginning of dialogue” around ocean rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

This past July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We lost that for a period,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Canoes hold significant historical meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, trade and family cooperations across islands, but those practices faded under colonisation and outside cultural pressures.

Heritage Restoration

This mission commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the administration and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was gaining local support,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative sought to revive traditional navigation techniques, train young builders and use vessel construction to enhance community pride and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the group has produced an exhibition, released a publication and supported the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from the southern region to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

Different from many other island territories where tree loss has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for carving large hulls.

“In other places, they often work with modern composites. Here, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The boats created under the Kenu Waan Project combine oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are included at graduate studies. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

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

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, this represents a unified effort,” he says. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

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

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

“You have to involve them – particularly fishing communities.”

Contemporary Evolution

Currently, when mariners from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they study canoes collectively, refine the construction and finally sail side by side.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we help them develop.”

Comprehensive Vision

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

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who has the right to travel ocean waters, and what authority governs what occurs on it? Traditional vessels serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”