🔗 Share this article

This past October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a small act that marked a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an gathering that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has overseen a project that seeks to restore heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an project aimed at reconnecting local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. 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 visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for maritime regulations created in consultation with and by local tribes that honor their maritime heritage.

“Our ancestors always navigated the ocean. We lost that for a period,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Traditional vessels hold profound traditional meaning in New Caledonia. They once stood for movement, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices faded under colonisation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

His journey commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to bring back traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the government and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

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

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use vessel construction to strengthen traditional heritage and island partnerships.

Up to now, the organization has created a display, released a publication and enabled the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has diminished wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often use synthetic materials. Locally, we can still craft from natural timber,” he states. “That represents all the difference.”

The vessels constructed under the initiative integrate traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and traditional construction history at the University of New Caledonia.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are included at advanced education. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve experienced. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the maritime heritage collectively.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and other leaders.

Before state and overseas representatives, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and community involvement.

“It’s essential to include local populations – especially fishing communities.”

Current Development

Currently, when navigators from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, adjust the structure and ultimately navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the old models, we help them develop.”

Integrated Mission

For Tikoure, educating sailors and supporting ecological regulations are connected.

“It’s all about how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and who determines what happens on it? The canoe is a way to start that conversation.”