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During the autumn month of October on the island of Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a simple gesture that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in generations, an occasion that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans 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 project that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an initiative designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

This past July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance shaped with and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always traveled by water. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical importance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, trade and family cooperations across islands, but those customs declined under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was considering how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the administration and two years later the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was launched.

“The hardest part didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he explains.

Program Successes

The initiative sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, mentor apprentice constructors and use canoe-making to strengthen traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

To date, the organization has produced an exhibition, released a publication and enabled the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“In other places, they often use marine plywood. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “That represents all the difference.”

The boats built under the initiative integrate Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Educational Expansion

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing navigation and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are taught at master’s level. This isn’t academic – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Island Cooperation

He traveled with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re reclaiming the sea together.”

Political Engagement

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

In front of government and international delegates, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include them – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Today, when mariners from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, modify the design and finally voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the old models, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

For Tikoure, teaching navigation and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who has the right to move across the sea, and who decides what happens in these waters? The canoe function as a means to begin that dialogue.”