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This past October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the turquoise waters – a small act that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in living memory, an gathering that brought together the island’s main family lineages in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a program that seeks to restore ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes 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 sea access rights and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

In July, he travelled to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance created in consultation with and by native populations that recognise their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Canoes hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised movement, interaction and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices declined under colonisation and religious conversion efforts.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was looking at how to bring back traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the authorities and two years later the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The biggest challenge wasn’t harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he says.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to reinforce cultural identity and regional collaboration.

To date, the group has organized a showcase, published a book and supported the creation or repair of nearly three dozen boats – from the southern region to the northern shoreline.

Natural Resources

Unlike many other island territories where deforestation has diminished timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often use modern composites. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he states. “This creates all the difference.”

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

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time these topics are included at advanced education. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

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

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re restoring the sea together.”

Governance Efforts

In July, Tikoure travelled to Nice, France to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he had discussions with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and international delegates, he argued for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and community involvement.

“It’s essential to include them – especially fishing communities.”

Current Development

Currently, when sailors from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, modify the design and ultimately voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“It’s all about community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and who determines what occurs on it? Traditional vessels function as a means to initiate that discussion.”