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During the autumn month of October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a simple gesture that represented a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an gathering that united the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has overseen a program that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been constructed in an project aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

In July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for marine policies created in consultation with and by native populations that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We lost that for a time,” Tikoure states. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised mobility, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those practices diminished under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

His journey began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was considering how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and after two years the boat building initiative – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

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

Initiative Accomplishments

The program aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, educate new craftspeople and use canoe-making to reinforce traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

So far, the organization has produced an exhibition, released a publication and facilitated the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other Pacific islands where tree loss has diminished wood resources, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often work with marine plywood. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “That represents a significant advantage.”

The vessels constructed under the program combine oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are taught at advanced education. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Regional Collaboration

He traveled with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the heritage craft that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage collectively.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure visited the French city to introduce a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and international delegates, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include these communities – particularly fishing communities.”

Current Development

Today, when navigators from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they analyze boats together, adjust the structure and finally voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

For Tikoure, teaching navigation and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and what authority governs what occurs on it? Heritage boats serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”