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This past October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in generations, an gathering that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the past eight years, he has overseen a initiative that works to resurrect ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Dozens of canoes have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and ecological regulations.

Diplomatic Efforts

In July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations created in consultation with and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea.

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

Traditional vessels hold significant historical significance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, exchange and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices faded under colonial rule and religious conversion efforts.

Heritage Restoration

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was considering how to restore traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure partnered with the administration and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

“The hardest part wasn’t wood collection, it was persuading communities,” he explains.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative sought to revive heritage voyaging practices, educate new craftspeople and use boat-building to reinforce traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

So far, the organization has organized a showcase, published a book and facilitated the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other Pacific islands where tree loss has diminished lumber availability, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often use marine plywood. Locally, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The canoes built under the initiative combine Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the University of New Caledonia.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are offered at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Island Cooperation

He voyaged with the team of the Fijian vessel, the Pacific vessel that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

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

Political Engagement

During the summer, Tikoure journeyed to the European location to share a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he met with Macron and additional officials.

Before state and foreign officials, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on local practices and participation.

“You have to involve them – particularly fishing communities.”

Contemporary Evolution

Currently, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they examine vessels collectively, refine the construction and finally navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, teaching navigation and supporting ecological regulations are interrelated.

“The core concept concerns how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs which activities take place in these waters? Traditional vessels function as a means to initiate that discussion.”