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

This past October on the island of Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the turquoise waters – a small act that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a traditional canoe on Lifou in living memory, an gathering that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.

Mariner and advocate Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the last eight years, he has spearheaded a initiative that works to resurrect heritage canoe building in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an initiative intended to reunite native Kanak communities with their oceanic traditions. Tikoure states the boats also help the “beginning of dialogue” around sea access rights and conservation measures.

Diplomatic Efforts

During the summer month of July, he travelled to France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, calling for ocean governance shaped with and by local tribes that acknowledge their maritime heritage.

“Previous generations always crossed the sea. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure states. “Currently we’re rediscovering it again.”

Traditional vessels hold profound traditional importance in New Caledonia. They once represented travel, trade and clan alliances across islands, but those practices diminished under colonial rule and missionary influences.

Tradition Revival

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was considering how to restore ancestral boat-making techniques. Tikoure partnered with the administration and following a two-year period the canoe construction project – known as Kenu Waan project – was launched.

“The hardest part was not wood collection, it was convincing people,” he says.

Program Successes

The initiative worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, educate new craftspeople and use vessel construction to reinforce cultural identity and island partnerships.

Up to now, the group has organized a showcase, published a book and supported the creation or repair of approximately thirty vessels – from Goro to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other oceanic nations where tree loss has reduced lumber availability, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

“There, they often employ synthetic materials. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he explains. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The boats constructed under the program merge traditional boat forms with regional navigation methods.

Educational Expansion

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

“For the first time ever these subjects are taught at master’s level. This isn’t academic – these are experiences I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Island Cooperation

Tikoure sailed with the team of the traditional boat, the heritage craft that traveled to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, from Fiji to here, it’s the same movement,” he states. “We’re reclaiming the ocean as a community.”

Political Engagement

During the summer, Tikoure visited Nice, France to share a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he met with Macron and additional officials.

Addressing official and foreign officials, he advocated for collaborative ocean management based on Kanak custom and local engagement.

“We must engage these communities – most importantly people dependent on marine resources.”

Modern Adaptation

Now, when sailors from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – visit Lifou, they examine vessels in cooperation, modify the design and ultimately navigate in unison.

“We’re not simply replicating the old models, we help them develop.”

Integrated Mission

In his view, educating sailors and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who is entitled to travel ocean waters, and who decides what happens on it? Traditional vessels function as a means to start that conversation.”