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In October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the maiden journey of a heritage boat on Lifou in living memory, an gathering that united the island’s main family lineages in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has overseen a project that aims to revive ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure says the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

Global Outreach

This past July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for marine policies shaped with and by native populations that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

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

Canoes hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions faded under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the authorities and after two years the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The biggest challenge was not wood collection, it was gaining local support,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive heritage voyaging practices, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to enhance traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

So far, the group has organized a showcase, released a publication and enabled the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

Different from many other island territories where forest clearing has reduced lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“Elsewhere, they often employ marine plywood. Here, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “It makes all the difference.”

The canoes built under the Kenu Waan Project combine Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are offered at graduate studies. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness during these journeys.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that journeyed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

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

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure visited Nice, France to present a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and other leaders.

Before state and foreign officials, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

“You have to involve these communities – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Today, when navigators from across the Pacific – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they analyze boats together, adjust the structure and eventually voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we enable their progression.”

Integrated Mission

For Tikoure, educating sailors and promoting conservation measures are connected.

“It’s all about public engagement: who has the right to move across the sea, and what authority governs which activities take place there? The canoe serve as a method to start that conversation.”