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This past October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a small act that represented a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a heritage boat on Lifou in generations, an gathering that brought together the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has led a program that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an project aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and ecological regulations.

Diplomatic Efforts

During the summer month of July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance developed alongside and by local tribes that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always navigated the ocean. We lost that for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical meaning in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions faded under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative began in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the government and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

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

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to enhance cultural identity and island partnerships.

To date, the organization has organized a showcase, issued a volume and supported the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other island territories where deforestation has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“Elsewhere, they often work with marine plywood. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he states. “This creates a significant advantage.”

The canoes built under the program combine traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Educational Expansion

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“This marks the initial occasion this knowledge are included at graduate studies. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve cried tears of joy while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the team of the Fijian vessel, the Fijian canoe that traveled to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, this represents a unified effort,” he explains. “We’re restoring the sea collectively.”

Political Engagement

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to Nice, France to share a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he met with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and foreign officials, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include them – especially fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when mariners from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they study canoes collectively, modify the design and finally sail side by side.

“We’re not simply replicating the old models, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and who decides what happens on it? Heritage boats function as a means to start that conversation.”