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During the autumn month of October on Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that assembled the island’s main family lineages in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a initiative that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an effort aimed at reconnecting local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he visited France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance shaped with and by native populations that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure states. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices diminished under colonisation and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was looking at how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the administration and two years later the canoe construction project – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

“The biggest challenge was not cutting down trees, it was persuading communities,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use canoe-making to strengthen cultural identity and regional collaboration.

So far, the organization has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and facilitated the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

In contrast to many other Pacific islands where tree loss has reduced lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

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

The vessels created under the initiative integrate traditional boat forms with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever these subjects are offered at graduate studies. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve sailed vast distances on these canoes. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the team of the traditional boat, the Pacific vessel that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the ocean as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure journeyed to the French city to share a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he met with Macron and other leaders.

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

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

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when mariners from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they examine vessels together, adjust the structure and finally voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who decides which activities take place in these waters? Traditional vessels function as a means to begin that dialogue.”