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This past October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the coastal lagoon – a simple gesture that signified a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in generations, an occasion that united the island’s main family lineages in a uncommon display of togetherness.

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

Many heritage vessels have been crafted in an project intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure says the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around sea access rights and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

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

“Our ancestors always navigated the ocean. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure explains. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, trade and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions faded under colonisation and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

His journey began in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was looking at how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the government and two years later the boat building initiative – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was gaining local support,” he explains.

Program Successes

The program aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, train young builders and use boat-building to reinforce community pride and island partnerships.

Up to now, the group has produced an exhibition, released a publication and supported the creation or repair of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for carving large hulls.

“In other places, they often use modern composites. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “It makes all the difference.”

The canoes created under the Kenu Waan Project integrate traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are offered at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve navigated major waters on these vessels. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that traveled to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Throughout the region, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the ocean together.”

Political Engagement

In July, Tikoure visited Nice, France to share a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

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

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

Current Development

Today, when mariners from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, refine the construction and ultimately navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we help them develop.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and who determines what happens there? The canoe serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”