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This past October on the island of Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was launched into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a traditional canoe on Lifou in generations, an gathering that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the last eight years, he has overseen a project that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

In July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance created in consultation with and by local tribes that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Forefathers always navigated the ocean. We forgot that knowledge for a time,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Canoes hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised mobility, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those customs faded under colonial rule and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure collaborated with the government and following a two-year period the vessel restoration program – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

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

Initiative Accomplishments

The program aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to reinforce traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

So far, the organization has organized a showcase, published a book and facilitated the building or renovation of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Natural Resources

Unlike many other Pacific islands where deforestation has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“Elsewhere, they often work with marine plywood. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The canoes constructed under the program combine Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Teaching Development

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been teaching seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are included at master’s level. It goes beyond textbooks – it’s something I’ve experienced. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the team of the Fijian vessel, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re restoring the ocean together.”

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to share a “Kanak vision of the ocean” when he had discussions with Macron and additional officials.

In front of government and foreign officials, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include local populations – especially people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Currently, when sailors from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, modify the design and eventually navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we help them develop.”

Integrated Mission

In his view, educating sailors and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: what permissions exist to travel ocean waters, and what authority governs which activities take place on it? The canoe is a way to begin that dialogue.”