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This past October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the lagoon – a simple gesture that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an event that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a project that aims to revive traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been crafted in an project aimed at reconnecting local Kanak populations with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure states the boats also help the “start of conversation” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for marine policies developed alongside and by local tribes that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional meaning in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those traditions faded under colonial rule and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

His journey commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was looking at how to bring back ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The most difficult aspect was not harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he notes.

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project worked to bring back traditional navigation techniques, train young builders and use vessel construction to enhance traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

So far, the team has produced an exhibition, released a publication and enabled the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to Ponerihouen.

Natural Resources

Different from many other island territories where deforestation has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for crafting substantial vessels.

“Elsewhere, they often work with marine plywood. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “That represents a significant advantage.”

The canoes created under the Kenu Waan Project integrate Polynesian hull design with regional navigation methods.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are included at graduate studies. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the team of the Fijian vessel, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Throughout the region, from Fiji to here, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re restoring the sea as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure journeyed to the French city to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he met with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and overseas representatives, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on local practices and local engagement.

“We must engage them – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Contemporary Evolution

Now, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, adjust the structure and eventually navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the old models, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and who determines which activities take place there? The canoe function as a means to initiate that discussion.”