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In October on the island of Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a profoundly important moment.

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

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has overseen a initiative that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an effort designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

In July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance developed alongside and by native populations that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

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

Canoes hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for movement, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices declined under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to bring back heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the authorities and after two years the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The hardest part didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative worked to bring back heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to strengthen community pride and island partnerships.

So far, the group has produced an exhibition, published a book and enabled the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other oceanic nations where tree loss has reduced lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“There, they often work with synthetic materials. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “It makes a crucial distinction.”

The boats constructed under the program combine traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“It’s the first time these topics are taught at advanced education. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve experienced profound emotion doing it.”

Island Cooperation

He voyaged with the members of the Fijian vessel, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the ocean collectively.”

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to the French city to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

In front of government and international delegates, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

“We must engage these communities – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Today, when mariners from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they study canoes together, adjust the structure and finally voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

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

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who determines what occurs on it? The canoe function as a means to initiate that discussion.”