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In October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the turquoise waters – a seemingly minor event that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an event that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a rare show of unity.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a initiative that works to resurrect traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an effort designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and environmental policies.

Diplomatic Efforts

During the summer month of July, he travelled to France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance developed alongside and by native populations that honor their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those customs declined under colonial rule and religious conversion efforts.

Cultural Reclamation

His journey began in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to reintroduce traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure worked with the authorities and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was born.

“The biggest challenge wasn’t cutting down trees, it was persuading communities,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use canoe-making to strengthen cultural identity and regional collaboration.

So far, the team has created a display, issued a volume and enabled the construction or restoration of approximately thirty vessels – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often work with marine plywood. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “It makes all the difference.”

The canoes created under the initiative merge oceanic vessel shapes with Melanesian rigging.

Teaching Development

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“It’s the first time these subjects are taught 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.”

Regional Collaboration

He traveled with the crew of the traditional boat, the Pacific vessel that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, including our location, it’s the same movement,” he explains. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage together.”

Governance Efforts

This past July, Tikoure journeyed to Nice, France to introduce a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and foreign officials, he advocated for cooperative sea policies based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

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

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when navigators from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they analyze boats together, refine the construction and eventually voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we enable their progression.”

Comprehensive Vision

In his view, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are connected.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and what authority governs what occurs in these waters? Heritage boats function as a means to start that conversation.”