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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the turquoise waters – a small act that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an event that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

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

Many heritage vessels have been built in an project aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure says the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

Diplomatic Efforts

During the summer month of July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance shaped with and by Indigenous communities that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure states. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional meaning in New Caledonia. They once symbolised movement, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those practices faded under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Heritage Restoration

His journey started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to bring back ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the authorities and after two years the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was born.

“The hardest part wasn’t wood collection, it was persuading communities,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to strengthen cultural identity and island partnerships.

To date, the organization has created a display, issued a volume and facilitated the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other island territories where deforestation has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“Elsewhere, they often use synthetic materials. In our location, we can still carve solid logs,” he states. “This creates a crucial distinction.”

The vessels built under the program merge Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and traditional construction history at the local university.

“It’s the first time these subjects are included at graduate studies. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Pacific Partnerships

He voyaged with the crew of the traditional boat, the Pacific vessel that journeyed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, this represents a unified effort,” he explains. “We’re reclaiming the sea together.”

Political Engagement

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

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include these communities – most importantly those who live from fishing.”

Modern Adaptation

Today, when sailors from across the Pacific – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – visit Lifou, they study canoes together, modify the design and eventually sail side by side.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

In his view, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are connected.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and who determines what occurs on it? Heritage boats function as a means to begin that dialogue.”