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In October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the lagoon – a small act that represented a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an event that assembled the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has led a program that aims to revive heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an effort designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

In July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for marine policies developed alongside and by native populations that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

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

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

Tradition Revival

His journey began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to bring back traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and after two years the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The hardest part was not harvesting timber, it was gaining local support,” he explains.

Program Successes

The program worked to bring back traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to strengthen traditional heritage and island partnerships.

So far, the organization has created a display, released a publication and facilitated the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

“There, they often employ synthetic materials. In our location, we can still carve solid logs,” he states. “That represents all the difference.”

The vessels created under the initiative merge oceanic vessel shapes with Melanesian rigging.

Educational Expansion

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever these topics are offered at master’s level. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness during these journeys.”

Regional Collaboration

He voyaged with the crew of the traditional boat, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, this represents a unified effort,” he says. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure travelled to Nice, France to introduce a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he met with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he argued for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

“It’s essential to include local populations – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Today, when mariners from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes together, modify the design and eventually voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, educating sailors and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who has the right to move across the sea, and what authority governs what happens there? Heritage boats is a way to start that conversation.”