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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was pushed into the lagoon – a small act that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an gathering that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a project that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

International Advocacy

During the summer month of July, he visited France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for marine policies developed alongside and by native populations that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a time,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented movement, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those practices declined under colonial rule and missionary influences.

Heritage Restoration

This mission commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to bring back traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the government and two years later the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was established.

“The biggest challenge wasn’t harvesting timber, it was gaining local support,” he explains.

Initiative Accomplishments

The program sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to enhance cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the group has produced an exhibition, released a publication and enabled the creation or repair of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other island territories where tree loss has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often employ modern composites. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “It makes a crucial distinction.”

The vessels created under the initiative combine traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and ancestral craft methods at the local university.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are included at advanced education. This isn’t academic – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

He traveled with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that traveled to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Throughout the region, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he explains. “We’re restoring the maritime heritage together.”

Political Engagement

In July, Tikoure journeyed to Nice, France to share a “Kanak vision of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Addressing official and international delegates, he advocated for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

“It’s essential to include them – most importantly those who live from fishing.”

Current Development

Currently, when mariners from various island nations – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, modify the design and ultimately navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Integrated Mission

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

“The core concept concerns community participation: who is entitled to move across the sea, and what authority governs what happens on it? Traditional vessels function as a means to begin that dialogue.”