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In October on Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the turquoise waters – a simple gesture that signified a profoundly important moment.

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

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has overseen a program that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an initiative intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure states the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

In July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance created in consultation with and by local tribes that honor their relationship with the sea.

“Our ancestors always traveled by water. We lost that for a period,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Canoes hold significant historical importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for movement, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those customs faded under colonial rule and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was exploring how to reintroduce heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

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

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to reinforce community pride and island partnerships.

So far, the group has created a display, released a publication and enabled the construction or restoration of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other island territories where tree loss has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often use marine plywood. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “This creates a crucial distinction.”

The canoes created under the program merge oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are offered at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Island Cooperation

He traveled with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re restoring the ocean as a community.”

Political Engagement

In July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to introduce a “Kanak vision of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and other leaders.

Before state and foreign officials, he advocated for cooperative sea policies based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

“You have to involve local populations – most importantly those who live from fishing.”

Current Development

Today, when navigators from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they analyze boats together, adjust the structure and ultimately voyage together.

“It’s not about duplicating the ancient designs, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs which activities take place there? The canoe serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”