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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was launched into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in living memory, an event that assembled the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the last eight years, he has spearheaded a initiative that aims to revive heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an effort aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

Global Outreach

During the summer month of July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance shaped with and by native populations that recognise their connection to the ocean.

“Our ancestors always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented movement, trade and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions faded under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Heritage Restoration

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was looking at how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure partnered with the administration and after two years the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The hardest part didn’t involve wood collection, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Program Successes

The program worked to bring back heritage voyaging practices, train young builders and use boat-building to reinforce community pride and regional collaboration.

So far, the team has organized a showcase, issued a volume and supported the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Natural Resources

Unlike many other Pacific islands where deforestation has diminished timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often use marine plywood. Here, we can still craft from natural timber,” he states. “That represents all the difference.”

The boats created under the Kenu Waan Project combine traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are offered at advanced education. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that traveled to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

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

Political Engagement

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to introduce a “Kanak vision of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and overseas representatives, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

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

Contemporary Evolution

Currently, when mariners from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, refine the construction and ultimately sail side by side.

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

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are connected.

“It’s all about how we involve people: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place in these waters? The canoe serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”