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This past October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that united the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has led a initiative that aims to revive heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been constructed in an project designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also help the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

During the summer month of July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for maritime regulations created in consultation with and by native populations that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Forefathers always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a time,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those traditions declined under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was launched.

“The hardest part was not cutting down trees, it was persuading communities,” he explains.

Project Achievements

The program worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use boat-building to strengthen traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

Up to now, the group has organized a showcase, published a book and supported the creation or repair of nearly three dozen boats – from the far south to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Different from many other Pacific islands where deforestation has limited lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often use modern composites. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The boats constructed under the initiative merge oceanic vessel shapes with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are taught at advanced education. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on these vessels. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the members of the Fijian vessel, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Throughout the region, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re restoring the sea as a community.”

Governance Efforts

In July, Tikoure journeyed to Nice, France to share a “Kanak vision of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and foreign officials, he pushed for collaborative ocean management based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

“You have to involve local populations – especially people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Now, when sailors from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they examine vessels in cooperation, adjust the structure and ultimately voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are interrelated.

“It’s all about how we involve people: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who decides what occurs in these waters? The canoe serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”