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In October on Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a simple gesture that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an event that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a initiative that aims to revive ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an initiative aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and ecological regulations.

Diplomatic Efforts

This past July, he journeyed to France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance shaped with and by Indigenous communities that honor their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always traveled by water. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure explains. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those customs diminished under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the government and two years later the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was established.

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

Project Achievements

The initiative aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, train young builders and use boat-building to reinforce traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

Up to now, the team has created a display, issued a volume and facilitated the construction or restoration of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Natural Resources

Different from many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often work with modern composites. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The canoes constructed under the Kenu Waan Project merge traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever these subjects are taught at advanced education. It goes beyond textbooks – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re taking back the ocean collectively.”

Governance Efforts

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 overseas representatives, he advocated for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and participation.

“We must engage local populations – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Today, when sailors from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, adjust the structure and finally navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Integrated Mission

In his view, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who is entitled to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place in these waters? Traditional vessels is a way to begin that dialogue.”