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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that represented a highly meaningful moment.

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

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a project that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been crafted in an effort aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure says the boats also help the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

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 recognise their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for movement, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions faded under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Heritage Restoration

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the government and two years later the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The most difficult aspect wasn’t cutting down trees, it was gaining local support,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to enhance community pride and island partnerships.

To date, the group has created a display, released a publication and facilitated the creation or repair of approximately thirty vessels – from the southern region to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other Pacific islands where deforestation has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“In other places, they often work with modern composites. Locally, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “It makes all the difference.”

The vessels created under the initiative integrate traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Educational Expansion

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and traditional construction history at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time these subjects are taught at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the maritime heritage as a community.”

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to introduce a “Kanak vision of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

In front of government and overseas representatives, he argued for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

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

Current Development

Now, when mariners from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – visit Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, adjust the structure and ultimately navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“The core concept concerns public engagement: what permissions exist to navigate marine territories, and who decides what happens in these waters? Traditional vessels serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”