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In October on the island of Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an occasion that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has overseen a initiative that aims to revive traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

In July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for marine policies developed alongside and by Indigenous communities that honor their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional meaning in New Caledonia. They once symbolised mobility, trade and clan alliances across islands, but those practices declined under colonial rule and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

The initiative commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and following a two-year period the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was established.

“The biggest challenge wasn’t cutting down trees, it was gaining local support,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to reinforce community pride and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the team has produced an exhibition, published a book and supported the creation or repair of approximately thirty vessels – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

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

The canoes built under the Kenu Waan Project combine Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the local university.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are included at graduate studies. It goes beyond textbooks – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that journeyed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, through various islands, this represents a unified effort,” he states. “We’re reclaiming the ocean collectively.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure visited the European location to introduce a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he argued for shared maritime governance based on local practices and participation.

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

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when navigators from various island nations – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they study canoes collectively, modify the design and finally sail side by side.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and advocating environmental policy are interrelated.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and who decides what happens in these waters? Traditional vessels is a way to begin that dialogue.”