🔗 Share this article

In October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the turquoise waters – a small act that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the maiden journey of a heritage boat on Lifou in generations, an occasion that united the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

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

Many heritage vessels have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also help the “start of conversation” around maritime entitlements and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

This past July, he journeyed to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for marine policies developed alongside and by native populations that recognise their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We forgot that knowledge for a while,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised mobility, interaction and clan alliances across islands, but those customs faded under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

The initiative commenced in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to reintroduce 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 was not wood collection, it was gaining local support,” he explains.

Initiative Accomplishments

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use canoe-making to enhance traditional heritage and regional collaboration.

To date, the team has created a display, issued a volume and supported the building or renovation of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Natural Resources

In contrast to many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for carving large hulls.

“Elsewhere, they often work with marine plywood. In our location, we can still work with whole trees,” he states. “This creates a crucial distinction.”

The canoes constructed under the Kenu Waan Project merge traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and heritage building techniques at the educational institution.

“For the first time ever these subjects are taught at advanced education. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness doing it.”

Island Cooperation

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

“Throughout the region, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re restoring the maritime heritage as a community.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure visited the European location to present a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

Before state and overseas representatives, he advocated for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and community involvement.

“It’s essential to include them – most importantly fishing communities.”

Current Development

Today, when sailors from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they analyze boats together, modify the design and eventually navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“It’s all about community participation: what permissions exist to move across the sea, and who determines which activities take place in these waters? Heritage boats is a way to begin that dialogue.”