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This past October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the maiden journey of a traditional canoe on Lifou in living memory, an occasion that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

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

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an initiative aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “beginning of dialogue” around sea access rights and environmental policies.

Diplomatic Efforts

During the summer month of July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for marine policies shaped with and by Indigenous communities that honor their maritime heritage.

“Previous generations always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a time,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Traditional vessels hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those customs declined under colonisation and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was exploring how to bring back ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was launched.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he explains.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use vessel construction to reinforce traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

So far, the team has organized a showcase, issued a volume and supported the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other island territories where deforestation has diminished timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“Elsewhere, they often employ marine plywood. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “That represents all the difference.”

The canoes built under the program integrate Polynesian hull design with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been teaching navigation and ancestral craft methods at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are included at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on these vessels. I’ve experienced profound emotion while accomplishing this.”

Island Cooperation

He traveled with the members of the traditional boat, the Pacific vessel that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re taking back the sea as a community.”

Governance Efforts

In July, Tikoure journeyed to Nice, France to share a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on Indigenous traditions and community involvement.

“We must engage local populations – especially those who live from fishing.”

Contemporary Evolution

Today, when mariners from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they examine vessels together, refine the construction and eventually voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

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

“It’s all about public engagement: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and who decides what happens on it? Traditional vessels serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”