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During the autumn month of October on Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was set afloat in the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has spearheaded a program that seeks to restore heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been constructed in an initiative designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

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

“Forefathers always traveled by water. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those customs diminished under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

This mission commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was looking at how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the authorities and after two years the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was gaining local support,” he notes.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to enhance traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the team has organized a showcase, published a book and enabled the building or renovation of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other Pacific islands where deforestation has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often work with modern composites. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The boats constructed under the program integrate Polynesian hull design with regional navigation methods.

Educational Expansion

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

“It’s the first time these topics are offered at master’s level. This isn’t academic – these are experiences I’ve experienced. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Pacific Partnerships

He voyaged with the team of the Fijian vessel, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the ocean as a community.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure visited Nice, France to present a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he had discussions with Macron and additional officials.

In front of government and foreign officials, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on local practices and local engagement.

“We must engage these communities – particularly fishing communities.”

Contemporary Evolution

Now, when navigators from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, refine the construction and eventually navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we make them evolve.”

Integrated Mission

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and promoting conservation measures are connected.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place on it? Traditional vessels serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”