🔗 Share this article

In October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the past eight years, he has spearheaded a initiative that seeks to restore heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been built in an project aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and ecological regulations.

Diplomatic Efforts

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

“Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We lost that for a period,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical meaning in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices faded under colonial rule and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was considering how to bring back ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

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

Initiative Accomplishments

The program aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to enhance community pride and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the organization has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and facilitated the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from the far south to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other island territories where forest clearing has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often use synthetic materials. Here, we can still work with whole trees,” he states. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The vessels built under the Kenu Waan Project integrate oceanic vessel shapes with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever these subjects are taught at graduate studies. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the team of the traditional boat, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Throughout the region, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he explains. “We’re restoring the sea as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure visited Nice, France to share a “Traditional understanding of the marine environment” when he met with Macron and government representatives.

Addressing official and international delegates, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and community involvement.

“You have to involve them – most importantly fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when navigators from various island nations – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, refine the construction and eventually sail side by side.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we make them evolve.”

Integrated Mission

In his view, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“The core concept concerns community participation: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who decides what happens in these waters? Traditional vessels serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”