Restoring the Forgotten Tradition of Traditional Boat Construction in the Pacific Territory

In October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was launched into the turquoise waters – a seemingly minor event that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the first launch of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an event that united the island’s main family lineages in a rare show of unity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a program that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been built in an effort aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

This past July, he journeyed to France and conferred with President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for marine policies shaped with and by native populations that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always navigated the ocean. We abandoned that practice for a time,” Tikoure states. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once stood for mobility, interaction and family cooperations across islands, but those customs faded under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

This mission started in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to bring back heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the administration and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was launched.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was persuading communities,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The Kenu Waan project sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use boat-building to reinforce cultural identity and regional collaboration.

So far, the organization has organized a showcase, released a publication and facilitated the building or renovation of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Material Advantages

Unlike many other Pacific islands where deforestation has limited timber supplies, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for carving large hulls.

“There, they often work with modern composites. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he says. “That represents a significant advantage.”

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

Academic Integration

Starting recently, Tikoure has also been teaching navigation and traditional construction history at the educational institution.

“It’s the first time these subjects are offered at master’s level. This isn’t academic – it’s something I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness during these journeys.”

Regional Collaboration

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

“Throughout the region, from Fiji to here, it’s the same movement,” he explains. “We’re restoring the maritime heritage together.”

Political Engagement

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to share a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he conferred with Macron and government representatives.

Addressing official and foreign officials, he pushed for cooperative sea policies based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include these communities – especially those who live from fishing.”

Contemporary Evolution

Today, when sailors from various island nations – from Fiji, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats together, refine the construction and eventually sail side by side.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

For Tikoure, instructing mariners and advocating environmental policy are interrelated.

“It’s all about public engagement: who is entitled to move across the sea, and what authority governs what happens there? Heritage boats serve as a method to initiate that discussion.”