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In October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was launched into the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an gathering that brought together 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 led a initiative that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an initiative aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “beginning of dialogue” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

Global Outreach

This past July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance developed alongside and by local tribes that honor their relationship with the sea.

“Forefathers always traveled by water. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Canoes hold significant historical importance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised travel, interaction and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices faded under colonisation and missionary influences.

Cultural Reclamation

His journey commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure worked with the government and after two years the boat building initiative – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

“The most difficult aspect was not cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative worked to bring back heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use canoe-making to strengthen cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the group has created a display, issued a volume and enabled the creation or repair of approximately thirty vessels – from the far south to Ponerihouen.

Natural Resources

Different from many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has diminished lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“Elsewhere, they often employ synthetic materials. In our location, we can still carve solid logs,” he states. “This creates all the difference.”

The vessels constructed under the initiative merge oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Teaching Development

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been instructing navigation and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are offered at master’s level. It goes beyond textbooks – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve experienced profound emotion doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

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

“Throughout the region, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re reclaiming the ocean collectively.”

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure visited the European location to share a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he had discussions with Macron and government representatives.

Before state and international delegates, he pushed for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

“You have to involve them – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and Aotearoa – visit Lifou, they study canoes collectively, modify the design and ultimately sail side by side.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we help them develop.”

Comprehensive Vision

In his view, educating sailors and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The core concept concerns community participation: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and who determines what happens in these waters? The canoe is a way to initiate that discussion.”