Reviving this Lost Tradition of Canoe Making in New Caledonia

During the autumn month of October on Lifou island, a traditional twin-hulled vessel was set afloat in the turquoise waters – a simple gesture that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an gathering that assembled the island’s three chiefly clans in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

Seafarer and campaigner Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has led a initiative that aims to revive ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been constructed in an initiative aimed at reconnecting native Kanak communities with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure states the boats also promote the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.

Global Outreach

During the summer month of July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for marine policies shaped with and by local tribes that acknowledge their relationship with the sea.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a time,” Tikoure explains. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Canoes hold deep cultural importance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions declined under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

The initiative began in 2016, when the New Caledonia cultural authorities was looking at how to bring back ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the authorities and two years later the vessel restoration program – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The biggest challenge wasn’t cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Initiative Accomplishments

The initiative worked to bring back traditional navigation techniques, train young builders and use canoe-making to reinforce community pride and regional collaboration.

To date, the group has produced an exhibition, released a publication and supported the building or renovation of nearly three dozen boats – from Goro to Ponerihouen.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other island territories where deforestation has diminished lumber availability, New Caledonia still has proper lumber for crafting substantial vessels.

“In other places, they often employ synthetic materials. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “This creates a significant advantage.”

The canoes created under the initiative merge oceanic vessel shapes with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“It’s the first time this knowledge are offered at graduate studies. This isn’t academic – these are experiences I’ve experienced. I’ve sailed vast distances on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy while accomplishing this.”

Pacific Partnerships

He traveled with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Pacific vessel that journeyed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, we’re part of a collective initiative,” he says. “We’re reclaiming the ocean collectively.”

Political Engagement

In July, Tikoure visited the French city to introduce a “Indigenous perspective of the sea” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

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

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

Modern Adaptation

Now, when sailors from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they analyze boats in cooperation, modify the design and finally navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the ancient designs, we enable their progression.”

Holistic Approach

In his view, teaching navigation and advocating environmental policy are interrelated.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who has the right to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs what happens there? Traditional vessels serve as a method to begin that dialogue.”