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This past October on Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was set afloat in the lagoon – a small act that represented a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an gathering that united the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the last eight years, he has led a project that aims to revive ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been built in an project designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure states the boats also help the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

This past July, he visited France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for maritime regulations shaped with and by native populations that recognise their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a period,” Tikoure states. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions faded under colonisation and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

His journey started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was exploring how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure collaborated with the government and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was launched.

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

Project Achievements

The initiative aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to enhance community pride and regional collaboration.

To date, the group has created a display, published a book and supported the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

Different from many other oceanic nations where deforestation has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“Elsewhere, they often work with marine plywood. Locally, we can still craft from natural timber,” he explains. “This creates a significant advantage.”

The boats built under the Kenu Waan Project integrate traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Educational Expansion

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and traditional construction history at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are taught at master’s level. This isn’t academic – this is knowledge I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy while accomplishing this.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that traveled to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Throughout the region, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he explains. “We’re reclaiming the sea together.”

Governance Efforts

In July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to share a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he advocated for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

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

Contemporary Evolution

Now, when mariners from across the Pacific – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they analyze boats together, refine the construction and finally voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs what happens there? Heritage boats function as a means to start that conversation.”