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In October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a small act that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the maiden journey of a traditional canoe on Lifou in living memory, an gathering that assembled the island’s primary tribal groups in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has overseen a project that seeks to restore ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

During the summer month of July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations shaped with and by local tribes that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical significance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those customs faded under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the government and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was established.

“The most difficult aspect was not cutting down trees, it was gaining local support,” he explains.

Project Achievements

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive heritage voyaging practices, train young builders and use canoe-making to reinforce community pride and island partnerships.

So far, the organization has created a display, published a book and facilitated the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other island territories where tree loss has limited lumber availability, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often use marine plywood. Here, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “This creates a crucial distinction.”

The canoes constructed under the program merge Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the local university.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are offered at advanced education. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve lived. I’ve sailed vast distances on these canoes. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the members of the traditional boat, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the ocean collectively.”

Political Engagement

In July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on local practices and community involvement.

“We must engage these communities – most importantly fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Today, when sailors from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, refine the construction and eventually sail side by side.

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

Comprehensive Vision

For Tikoure, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and what authority governs which activities take place in these waters? The canoe is a way to initiate that discussion.”