🔗 Share this article

In October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the previous eight-year period, he has led a project that works to resurrect traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an initiative aimed at reconnecting local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

This past July, he travelled to France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that recognise their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a time,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Canoes hold significant historical meaning in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those customs declined under colonial rule and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the administration and after two years the vessel restoration program – known as the Kenu Waan initiative – was born.

“The most difficult aspect was not harvesting timber, it was gaining local support,” he says.

Initiative Accomplishments

The program worked to bring back traditional navigation techniques, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to reinforce cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

So far, the organization has created a display, published a book and supported the creation or repair of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

Different from many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often work with synthetic materials. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The canoes constructed under the Kenu Waan Project merge oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Academic Integration

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

“This marks the initial occasion this knowledge are offered at advanced education. This isn’t academic – these are experiences I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

Tikoure sailed with the members of the traditional boat, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, this represents a unified effort,” he states. “We’re restoring the maritime heritage as a community.”

Governance Efforts

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to present a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he had discussions with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and international delegates, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on local practices and community involvement.

“We must engage these communities – particularly fishing communities.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when navigators from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, refine the construction and eventually navigate in unison.

“It’s not about duplicating the traditional forms, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are linked.

“The core concept concerns community participation: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and who decides what happens in these waters? Traditional vessels function as a means to start that conversation.”