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This past October on Lifou, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a small act that represented a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an occasion that assembled the island’s three chiefly clans in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a program that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an project aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also help the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

Global Outreach

This past July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for ocean governance created in consultation with and by local tribes that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always navigated the ocean. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for movement, exchange and family cooperations across islands, but those practices diminished under colonial rule and missionary influences.

Heritage Restoration

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure collaborated with the administration and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

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

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, mentor apprentice constructors and use boat-building to strengthen community pride and regional collaboration.

So far, the team has produced an exhibition, published a book and enabled the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from the southern region to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often work with synthetic materials. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he says. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The vessels built under the initiative merge Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“This marks the initial occasion these subjects are taught at advanced education. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Regional Collaboration

He traveled with the crew of the Fijian vessel, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, from Fiji to here, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re taking back the sea as a community.”

Governance Efforts

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to present a “Traditional understanding of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

In front of government and international delegates, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

“We must engage local populations – most importantly those who live from fishing.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they analyze boats together, adjust the structure and finally voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Integrated Mission

For Tikoure, educating sailors and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place there? The canoe is a way to start that conversation.”