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During the autumn month of October on Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a small act that represented a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an occasion that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has overseen a project that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been built in an project intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

This past July, he visited France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for marine policies shaped with and by native populations that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure states. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

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

Tradition Revival

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the government and two years later the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The hardest part wasn’t harvesting timber, it was convincing people,” he explains.

Project Achievements

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

To date, the organization has organized a showcase, released a publication and facilitated the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other Pacific islands where tree loss has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“In other places, they often employ modern composites. Here, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “That represents all the difference.”

The vessels built under the Kenu Waan Project merge Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are included at master’s level. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve experienced. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the members of the traditional boat, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, this represents a unified effort,” he says. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage together.”

Policy Advocacy

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to Nice, France to share a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and international delegates, he pushed for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

“We must engage them – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when mariners from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they examine vessels in cooperation, adjust the structure and ultimately voyage together.

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

Holistic Approach

In his view, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The core concept concerns public engagement: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who determines what happens on it? The canoe function as a means to begin that dialogue.”