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During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an event 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 past eight years, he has spearheaded a program that seeks to restore heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been built in an initiative intended to reunite local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also help the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that honor their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always navigated the ocean. We lost that for a time,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Canoes hold significant historical significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, trade and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions diminished under colonisation and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

His journey started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the authorities and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The most difficult aspect wasn’t wood collection, it was persuading communities,” he says.

Project Achievements

The program sought to revive heritage voyaging practices, train young builders and use canoe-making to reinforce cultural identity and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the team has created a display, published a book and facilitated the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Natural Resources

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

“There, they often work with marine plywood. Here, we can still craft from natural timber,” he says. “This creates a significant advantage.”

The vessels built under the Kenu Waan Project integrate Polynesian hull design with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and traditional construction history at the University of New Caledonia.

“This marks the initial occasion this knowledge are taught at master’s level. It’s not theory – this is knowledge I’ve experienced. I’ve sailed vast distances on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

He traveled with the members of the Fijian vessel, the Fijian canoe that traveled to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Throughout the region, from Fiji to here, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re restoring the ocean together.”

Political Engagement

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

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he argued for shared maritime governance based on local practices and local engagement.

“You have to involve them – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Contemporary Evolution

Today, when sailors from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they study canoes together, refine the construction and finally navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Holistic Approach

For Tikoure, teaching navigation and promoting conservation measures are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who has the right to travel ocean waters, and who decides which activities take place there? The canoe is a way to start that conversation.”