Restoring this Lost Tradition of Canoe Construction in New Caledonia

In October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a simple gesture that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a heritage boat on Lifou in many decades, an gathering that brought together the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

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

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

International Advocacy

During the summer month of July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for maritime regulations shaped with and by native populations that recognise their connection to the ocean.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We lost that for a period,” Tikoure states. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once represented movement, trade and clan alliances across islands, but those customs declined under colonial rule and missionary influences.

Tradition Revival

The initiative began in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was exploring how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure worked with the authorities and following a two-year period the vessel restoration program – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

“The hardest part didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was gaining local support,” he notes.

Initiative Accomplishments

The program aimed to restore ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to reinforce cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

To date, the organization has produced an exhibition, published a book and facilitated the building or renovation of approximately thirty vessels – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other oceanic nations where forest clearing has limited lumber availability, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“There, they often work with modern composites. In our location, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “It makes a crucial distinction.”

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

Educational Expansion

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in seafaring and traditional construction history at the local university.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are included at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve experienced. I’ve sailed vast distances on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

He voyaged with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the heritage craft that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, through various islands, this represents a unified effort,” he states. “We’re taking back the sea together.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure visited Nice, France to share a “Indigenous perspective of the marine environment” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

In front of government and foreign officials, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

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

Current Development

Currently, when mariners from across the Pacific – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes in cooperation, adjust the structure and finally navigate in unison.

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

Comprehensive Vision

For Tikoure, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are linked.

“It’s all about public engagement: who has the right to move across the sea, and who decides what occurs on it? Traditional vessels serve as a method to start that conversation.”