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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that represented a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a traditional canoe on Lifou in living memory, an event that assembled the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has overseen a initiative that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been constructed in an effort aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “beginning of dialogue” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

International Advocacy

During the summer month of July, he travelled to France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for marine policies developed alongside and by local tribes that recognise their maritime heritage.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure explains. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those customs diminished under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and after two years the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was born.

“The hardest part didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive traditional navigation techniques, mentor apprentice constructors and use canoe-making to enhance cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

So far, the team has organized a showcase, published a book and supported the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northern shoreline.

Natural Resources

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where deforestation has diminished wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

“There, they often work with marine plywood. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The boats created under the Kenu Waan Project merge Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and traditional construction history at the local university.

“It’s the first time these topics are taught at advanced education. This isn’t academic – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

He voyaged with the team of the traditional boat, the Fijian canoe that traveled to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he explains. “We’re restoring the sea as a community.”

Governance Efforts

This past July, Tikoure visited the European location to present a “Kanak vision of the marine environment” when he had discussions with Macron and government representatives.

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

“You have to involve these communities – particularly those who live from fishing.”

Current Development

Now, when mariners from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they study canoes collectively, modify the design and ultimately voyage together.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and advocating environmental policy are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who has the right to travel ocean waters, and who decides what occurs in these waters? The canoe serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”