🔗 Share this article

During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the turquoise waters – a small act that signified a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an event that assembled the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the last eight years, he has overseen a initiative that aims to revive heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an initiative intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure says the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

Global Outreach

In July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations shaped with and by Indigenous communities that honor their relationship with the sea.

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

Canoes hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for movement, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those customs faded under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was looking at how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the government and two years later the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was established.

“The most difficult aspect was not harvesting timber, it was convincing people,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to enhance traditional heritage and island partnerships.

To date, the organization has organized a showcase, published a book and enabled the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Different from many other Pacific islands where tree loss has limited lumber availability, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often employ synthetic materials. Locally, we can still craft from natural timber,” he states. “That represents a significant advantage.”

The canoes constructed under the initiative integrate oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are offered at master’s level. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the heritage craft that journeyed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re taking back the sea together.”

Policy Advocacy

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

In front of government and international delegates, he advocated for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

“It’s essential to include these communities – particularly those who live from fishing.”

Current Development

Currently, when mariners from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, adjust the structure and ultimately sail side by side.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we help them develop.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“It’s all about community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and what authority governs what happens in these waters? The canoe function as a means to initiate that discussion.”