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This past October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that represented a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an event that united the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a project that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an project intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

Diplomatic Efforts

This past July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for maritime regulations created in consultation with and by local tribes that recognise their connection to the ocean.

“Our ancestors always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a time,” Tikoure explains. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those practices faded under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

His journey commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was exploring how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the authorities and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

“The biggest challenge was not cutting down trees, it was gaining local support,” he says.

Program Successes

The program aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to reinforce cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the organization has organized a showcase, published a book and supported the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where deforestation has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often use modern composites. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The boats constructed under the program combine Polynesian hull design with regional navigation methods.

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and traditional construction history at the local university.

“For the first time ever these topics are taught at advanced education. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

He traveled with the team of the traditional boat, the heritage craft that traveled to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re restoring the sea together.”

Political Engagement

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to present a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and other leaders.

Before state and foreign officials, he argued for shared maritime governance based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include local populations – especially those who live from fishing.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when sailors from various island nations – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they study canoes collectively, refine the construction and finally navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

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

“The core concept concerns community participation: what permissions exist to travel ocean waters, and who determines which activities take place there? Traditional vessels serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”