Bringing Back this Lost Craft of Canoe Making in New Caledonia

This past October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was pushed into the turquoise waters – a small act that signified a profoundly important moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in living memory, an event that brought together the island’s main family lineages in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was the driving force behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a program that seeks to restore traditional boat making in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been constructed in an initiative designed to reconnect native Kanak communities with their maritime heritage. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “opening of discussions” around maritime entitlements and environmental policies.

Diplomatic Efforts

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

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

Traditional vessels hold significant historical importance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised travel, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those traditions faded under colonial rule and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

His journey began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was exploring how to bring back heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure collaborated with the authorities and two years later the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was persuading communities,” he explains.

Program Successes

The program sought to revive heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use vessel construction to enhance community pride and regional collaboration.

Up to now, the group has created a display, released a publication and enabled the creation or repair of approximately thirty vessels – from the southern region to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has diminished lumber availability, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often employ marine plywood. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he states. “That represents a crucial distinction.”

The canoes created under the program combine traditional boat forms with local sailing systems.

Educational Expansion

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been educating students in maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are taught at graduate studies. It goes beyond textbooks – this is knowledge I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on traditional boats. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the team of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that traveled to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the maritime heritage as a community.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to present a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

In front of government and international delegates, he argued for shared maritime governance based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

“We must engage them – especially people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Currently, when navigators from throughout the region – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and Aotearoa – come to Lifou, they analyze boats together, adjust the structure and finally voyage together.

“We’re not simply replicating the old models, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, instructing mariners and supporting ecological regulations are linked.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and who determines what happens in these waters? Heritage boats is a way to start that conversation.”