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

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an event 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 previous eight-year period, he has overseen a program that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an initiative intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

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

“Our ancestors always navigated the ocean. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical importance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, trade and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices diminished under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was considering how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the government and after two years the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The most difficult aspect was not wood collection, it was convincing people,” he explains.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to strengthen cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

So far, the team has organized a showcase, released a publication and facilitated the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has reduced lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“In other places, they often work with marine plywood. Locally, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The boats built under the Kenu Waan Project combine traditional boat forms with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are included at master’s level. This isn’t academic – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the members of the traditional boat, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he says. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage as a community.”

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to the French city 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 argued for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

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

Modern Adaptation

Today, when navigators from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats together, modify the design and eventually navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the ancient designs, we enable their progression.”

Integrated Mission

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are connected.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs what happens in these waters? The canoe is a way to initiate that discussion.”