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This past October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the coastal lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an event that brought together the island’s primary tribal groups in a rare show of unity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has overseen a project that works to resurrect traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been crafted in an initiative designed to reconnect native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure says the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

International Advocacy

During the summer month of July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations shaped with and by native populations that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure says. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Heritage boats hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once represented mobility, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those practices declined under foreign occupation and missionary influences.

Heritage Restoration

His journey commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to reintroduce heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure collaborated with the government and following a two-year period the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was established.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve wood collection, it was gaining local support,” he notes.

Program Successes

The program sought to revive traditional navigation techniques, mentor apprentice constructors and use canoe-making to enhance traditional heritage and island partnerships.

So far, the group has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and supported the building or renovation of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Material Advantages

Different from many other oceanic nations where tree loss has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often work with synthetic materials. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The canoes created under the program combine oceanic vessel shapes with regional navigation methods.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever this knowledge are taught at master’s level. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that sailed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, including our location, this represents a unified effort,” he says. “We’re restoring the maritime heritage collectively.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure visited Nice, France to present a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he met with Macron and other leaders.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he advocated for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and participation.

“You have to involve local populations – particularly those who live from fishing.”

Current Development

Now, when sailors from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they study canoes collectively, refine the construction and finally voyage together.

“We don’t just copy the ancient designs, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The core concept concerns public engagement: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who determines what happens there? Traditional vessels serve as a method to start that conversation.”