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In October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a simple gesture that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

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

Dozens of canoes have been built in an effort designed to reconnect native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

International Advocacy

In July, he visited France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance shaped with and by local tribes that recognise their maritime heritage.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those practices diminished under colonisation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

His journey commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to bring back heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and following a two-year period the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he explains.

Project Achievements

The program worked to bring back traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to reinforce community pride and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the organization has created a display, issued a volume and enabled the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from the far south to Ponerihouen.

Natural Resources

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where deforestation has diminished lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“There, they often employ modern composites. Here, we can still work with whole trees,” he states. “That represents a significant advantage.”

The boats constructed under the Kenu Waan Project integrate traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are taught at master’s level. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

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

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re restoring the sea together.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure journeyed to the French city to present a “Traditional understanding of the marine environment” when he met with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and foreign officials, he advocated for collaborative ocean management based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

“We must engage these communities – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when mariners from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, modify the design and ultimately navigate in unison.

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

Integrated Mission

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The core concept concerns public engagement: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and what authority governs which activities take place in these waters? Heritage boats function as a means to start that conversation.”