🔗 Share this article

In October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the turquoise waters – a simple gesture that marked a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in living memory, an gathering that brought together the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has spearheaded a initiative that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an effort intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

This past July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for maritime regulations developed alongside and by local tribes that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We lost that for a time,” Tikoure states. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Canoes hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised movement, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those practices diminished under foreign occupation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the administration and following a two-year period the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

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

Project Achievements

The initiative aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to strengthen cultural identity and island partnerships.

To date, the organization has produced an exhibition, published a book and facilitated the building or renovation of nearly three dozen boats – from the far south to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

Different from many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has diminished timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often employ modern composites. In our location, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “It makes a crucial distinction.”

The canoes constructed under the Kenu Waan Project combine Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“It’s the first time these subjects are included at master’s level. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Island Cooperation

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

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re restoring the maritime heritage collectively.”

Governance Efforts

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to share a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he met with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he advocated for cooperative sea policies based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include these communities – especially those who live from fishing.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, modify the design and finally navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“It’s all about public engagement: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and who determines what happens on it? The canoe serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”