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In October on the island of Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a seemingly minor event that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the maiden journey of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an gathering that assembled the island’s main family lineages in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a initiative that aims to revive traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an effort intended to reunite Indigenous Kanak people with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure explains the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

In July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance shaped with and by local tribes that honor their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We abandoned that practice for a period,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold significant historical importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions declined under colonial rule and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

His journey began in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was looking at how to reintroduce ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the authorities and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was born.

“The biggest challenge wasn’t harvesting timber, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative worked to bring back heritage voyaging practices, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to strengthen traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the group has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and facilitated the creation or repair of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other island territories where deforestation has diminished wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for crafting substantial vessels.

“Elsewhere, they often use synthetic materials. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he explains. “That represents all the difference.”

The vessels built under the program integrate oceanic vessel shapes with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are offered at master’s level. It goes beyond textbooks – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

He traveled with the team of the traditional boat, the heritage craft that sailed to Tonga for the oceanic conference in 2024.

“Throughout the region, including our location, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he states. “We’re taking back the sea collectively.”

Governance Efforts

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to present a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he met with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and international delegates, he advocated for shared maritime governance based on Indigenous traditions and participation.

“It’s essential to include local populations – especially people dependent on marine resources.”

Contemporary Evolution

Currently, when navigators from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, refine the construction and eventually voyage together.

“It’s not about duplicating the old models, we enable their progression.”

Integrated Mission

In his view, educating sailors and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves public engagement: who has the right to move across the sea, and what authority governs what occurs in these waters? Traditional vessels serve as a method to start that conversation.”