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This past October on the island of Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was set afloat in the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a highly meaningful moment.

It was the maiden journey of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an event that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

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

Numerous traditional boats have been constructed in an initiative designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

International Advocacy

This past July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for maritime regulations shaped with and by Indigenous communities that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a time,” Tikoure states. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once represented movement, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those practices diminished under colonisation and religious conversion efforts.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the government and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was born.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, train young builders and use vessel construction to enhance community pride and regional collaboration.

So far, the team has organized a showcase, issued a volume and facilitated the building or renovation of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Different from many other island territories where tree loss has diminished wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often use marine plywood. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “That represents all the difference.”

The canoes constructed under the initiative merge Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Educational Expansion

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are included at advanced education. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Pacific Partnerships

He voyaged with the team of the traditional boat, the Pacific vessel that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

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

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to the European location to present a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he had discussions with Macron and additional officials.

Before state and foreign officials, he argued for shared maritime governance based on local practices and participation.

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

Modern Adaptation

Now, when mariners from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they examine vessels together, modify the design and eventually voyage together.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The core concept concerns community participation: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who decides what happens in these waters? Traditional vessels function as a means to initiate that discussion.”