Bringing Back the Ancient Craft of Canoe Construction in New Caledonia

In October on Lifou island, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the lagoon – a small act that marked a profoundly important moment.

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

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

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an project designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure states the boats also facilitate the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

International Advocacy

In July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for maritime regulations created in consultation with and by local tribes that honor their maritime heritage.

“Previous generations always traveled by water. We abandoned that practice for a while,” Tikoure says. “Today we’re reclaiming it again.”

Canoes hold profound traditional significance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised movement, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions diminished under colonisation and outside cultural pressures.

Cultural Reclamation

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia heritage ministry was looking at how to reintroduce traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure collaborated with the government and two years later the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The biggest challenge didn’t involve wood collection, it was persuading communities,” he explains.

Program Successes

The initiative sought to revive ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use vessel construction to strengthen community pride and inter-island cooperation.

Up to now, the team has produced an exhibition, issued a volume and enabled the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other island territories where deforestation has diminished lumber availability, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

“There, they often work with marine plywood. Locally, we can still carve solid logs,” he states. “It makes all the difference.”

The canoes created under the Kenu Waan Project integrate traditional boat forms with Melanesian rigging.

Academic Integration

Since 2024, Tikoure has also been instructing seafaring and ancestral craft methods at the educational institution.

“It’s the first time these subjects are taught at advanced education. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve experienced. I’ve navigated major waters on traditional boats. I’ve experienced profound emotion while accomplishing this.”

Island Cooperation

He voyaged with the members of the Fijian vessel, the Pacific vessel that sailed to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“Across the Pacific, through various islands, this represents a unified effort,” he says. “We’re restoring the ocean together.”

Policy Advocacy

This past July, Tikoure travelled to the European location to share a “Indigenous perspective of the ocean” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

Addressing official and overseas representatives, he advocated for cooperative sea policies based on local practices and participation.

“We must engage them – most importantly those who live from fishing.”

Current Development

Now, when navigators from various island nations – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they analyze boats collectively, modify the design and finally voyage together.

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

Holistic Approach

According to Tikoure, educating sailors and promoting conservation measures are connected.

“The fundamental issue involves community participation: who is entitled to move across the sea, and what authority governs what occurs on it? The canoe function as a means to begin that dialogue.”