Restoring this Ancient Tradition of Traditional Boat Building in New Caledonia

This past October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a seemingly minor event that marked a profoundly important moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an event that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a rare show of unity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has overseen a initiative that seeks to restore ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Many heritage vessels have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure explains the boats also promote the “beginning of dialogue” around sea access rights and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

This past July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for ocean governance created in consultation with and by native populations that honor their maritime heritage.

“Forefathers always crossed the sea. We forgot that knowledge for a period,” Tikoure states. “Now we’re finding it again.”

Heritage boats hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those customs faded under colonial rule and religious conversion efforts.

Tradition Revival

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was exploring how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the administration and after two years the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The most difficult aspect didn’t involve wood collection, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The program worked to bring back heritage voyaging practices, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to strengthen cultural identity and inter-island cooperation.

Up to now, the organization has produced an exhibition, published a book and facilitated the building or renovation of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

Unlike many other Pacific islands where forest clearing has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for constructing major boats.

“There, they often employ marine plywood. In our location, we can still craft from natural timber,” he states. “That represents all the difference.”

The vessels created under the initiative integrate oceanic vessel shapes with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and heritage building techniques at the local university.

“It’s the first time these subjects are included at advanced education. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.”

Pacific Partnerships

Tikoure sailed with the crew of the Fijian vessel, the Pacific vessel that sailed 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 reclaiming the ocean together.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the French city to present a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and international delegates, he argued for collaborative ocean management based on local practices and participation.

“It’s essential to include them – most importantly those who live from fishing.”

Contemporary Evolution

Today, when navigators from various island nations – from the Fijian islands, the Micronesian region and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, adjust the structure and ultimately navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the old models, we help them develop.”

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are linked.

“The core concept concerns community participation: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and who determines which activities take place in these waters? Traditional vessels function as a means to initiate that discussion.”