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In October on the island of Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was launched into the turquoise waters – a small act that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an event that assembled the island’s main family lineages in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate 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.

Dozens of canoes have been built in an project aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure says the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and conservation measures.

International Advocacy

During the summer month of July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for maritime regulations developed alongside and by native populations that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

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

Heritage boats hold deep cultural significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those practices declined under colonial rule and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

His journey started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and two years later the boat building initiative – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was launched.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve wood collection, it was convincing people,” he says.

Project Achievements

The initiative aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, mentor apprentice constructors and use canoe-making to enhance cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

So far, the group has organized a showcase, issued a volume and facilitated the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for carving large hulls.

“There, they often work with marine plywood. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he states. “That represents all the difference.”

The boats built under the initiative integrate traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been teaching seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“This marks the initial occasion this knowledge are taught at graduate studies. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve experienced. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

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

“Across the Pacific, including our location, this represents a unified effort,” he states. “We’re taking back the ocean together.”

Policy Advocacy

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to the French city to share a “Kanak vision of the sea” when he met with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and foreign officials, he argued for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

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

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when navigators from across the Pacific – from Fiji, Micronesia and Aotearoa – visit Lifou, they analyze boats together, modify the design and ultimately sail side by side.

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

Comprehensive Vision

For Tikoure, teaching navigation and promoting conservation measures are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs what happens in these waters? The canoe serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”