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During the autumn month of October on the island of Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the lagoon – a small act that signified a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an gathering that assembled the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has led a program that aims to revive ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an project aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for maritime regulations developed alongside and by native populations that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Forefathers always traveled by water. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure states. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Canoes hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices faded under colonisation and missionary influences.

Heritage Restoration

His journey commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was exploring how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the authorities and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The most difficult aspect was not harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he explains.

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use canoe-making to strengthen cultural identity and island partnerships.

Up to now, the team has organized a showcase, released a publication and supported the building or renovation of approximately thirty vessels – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

Different from many other Pacific islands where tree loss has limited lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for constructing major boats.

“Elsewhere, they often work with marine plywood. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he states. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The canoes constructed under the initiative merge traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are included at graduate studies. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on these canoes. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

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

“Across the Pacific, including our location, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re taking back the ocean together.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to introduce a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he met with Macron and other leaders.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he argued for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

“You have to involve local populations – especially fishing communities.”

Current Development

Currently, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they study canoes collectively, refine the construction and ultimately voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are interrelated.

“It’s all about how we involve people: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and who determines what happens there? Heritage boats is a way to initiate that discussion.”