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In October on Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel 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 generations, an gathering 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 overseen a program that seeks to restore ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure states the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he visited France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for marine policies created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those customs declined under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was looking at how to bring back heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the authorities and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve wood collection, it was convincing people,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to strengthen cultural identity and regional collaboration.

To date, the organization has produced an exhibition, published a book and enabled the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other island territories where tree loss has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“In other places, they often work with synthetic materials. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “It makes a significant advantage.”

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

Educational Expansion

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

“This marks the initial occasion this knowledge are included at master’s level. This isn’t academic – this is knowledge I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on these canoes. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

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

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he explains. “We’re restoring the maritime heritage as a community.”

Governance Efforts

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to introduce a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and foreign officials, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on local practices and community involvement.

“We must engage these communities – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Contemporary Evolution

Now, when navigators from across the Pacific – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, adjust the structure and ultimately navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we enable their progression.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and who decides what occurs in these waters? The canoe serve as a method to start that conversation.”