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This past October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was set afloat in the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the maiden journey of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has spearheaded a project that aims to revive traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been built in an effort aimed at reconnecting Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

This past July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance shaped with and by Indigenous communities that honor their connection to the ocean.

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

Heritage boats hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, trade and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions diminished under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Tradition Revival

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The hardest part wasn’t wood collection, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The Kenu Waan project worked to bring back traditional navigation techniques, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to reinforce traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the team has created a display, released a publication and enabled the construction or restoration of approximately thirty vessels – from the southern region to Ponerihouen.

Natural Resources

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

“There, they often work with synthetic materials. Here, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “This creates a crucial distinction.”

The canoes created under the Kenu Waan Project merge Polynesian hull design with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and traditional construction history at the local university.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are offered at master’s level. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the members of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that traveled to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, this represents a unified effort,” he states. “We’re taking back the maritime heritage as a community.”

Governance Efforts

In July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to share a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and foreign officials, he advocated for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

“You have to involve these communities – especially fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Currently, when sailors from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and Aotearoa – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, adjust the structure and finally navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, teaching navigation and supporting ecological regulations are connected.

“It’s all about how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and who decides what occurs in these waters? Heritage boats function as a means to initiate that discussion.”