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In October on Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an gathering that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

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

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an project intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure says the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

Global Outreach

This past July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations created in consultation with and by local tribes that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural significance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised mobility, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions declined under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was considering how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the administration and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as Kenu Waan project – was established.

“The hardest part didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was gaining local support,” he explains.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive heritage voyaging practices, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to strengthen traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

To date, the group has created a display, published a book and facilitated the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

Different from many other Pacific islands where tree loss has reduced lumber availability, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often work with marine plywood. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he says. “That represents all the difference.”

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

Educational Expansion

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and traditional construction history at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time these subjects are included at master’s level. It goes beyond textbooks – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve experienced profound emotion doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that traveled to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

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

Policy Advocacy

In July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to share a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and foreign officials, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and local engagement.

“We must engage these communities – most importantly fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Today, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, refine the construction and eventually navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the ancient designs, we help them develop.”

Integrated Mission

In his view, instructing mariners and advocating environmental policy are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and who decides what occurs in these waters? Traditional vessels function as a means to initiate that discussion.”