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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a heritage boat on Lifou in living memory, an occasion that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a rare show of unity.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has led a initiative that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an effort aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

This past July, he visited France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance created in consultation with and by native populations that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Our ancestors always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure states. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Traditional vessels hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those customs declined under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was looking at how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the government and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was launched.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was persuading communities,” he notes.

Initiative Accomplishments

The program worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use vessel construction to strengthen community pride and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the organization has created a display, released a publication and supported the creation or repair of approximately thirty vessels – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Natural Resources

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

“Elsewhere, they often use synthetic materials. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “This creates a crucial distinction.”

The boats created under the program merge oceanic vessel shapes with Melanesian rigging.

Educational Expansion

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

“It’s the first time these subjects are offered at graduate studies. It goes beyond textbooks – it’s something I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the members of the traditional boat, the Pacific vessel that traveled to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, including our location, this represents a unified effort,” he explains. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage together.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to present a “Kanak vision of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and foreign officials, he pushed for collaborative ocean management based on local practices and participation.

“You have to involve local populations – particularly fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when navigators from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes together, refine the construction and eventually voyage together.

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

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and advocating environmental policy are linked.

“It’s all about community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place there? Traditional vessels serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”