Reviving the Lost Craft of Traditional Boat Construction in the Pacific Territory

During the autumn month of October on Lifou, a double-hulled canoe was set afloat in the turquoise waters – a simple gesture that marked a deeply symbolic moment.

It was the inaugural voyage of a traditional canoe on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that united the island’s three chiefly clans in a exceptional demonstration of solidarity.

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

Dozens of canoes have been crafted in an effort designed to reconnect local Kanak populations with their maritime heritage. Tikoure explains the boats also promote the “opening of discussions” around ocean rights and ecological regulations.

Global Outreach

This past July, he visited France and had discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, advocating for marine policies shaped with and by local tribes that recognise their maritime heritage.

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

Traditional vessels hold deep cultural meaning in New Caledonia. They once symbolised movement, interaction and tribal partnerships across islands, but those practices faded under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

This mission began in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was exploring how to reintroduce heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the authorities and two years later the boat building initiative – known as Project Kenu Waan – was born.

“The hardest part didn’t involve cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Project Achievements

The initiative worked to bring back ancestral sailing methods, train young builders and use vessel construction to reinforce traditional heritage and inter-island cooperation.

Up to now, the group has organized a showcase, released a publication and facilitated the creation or repair of around 30 canoes – from Goro to the northeastern coast.

Resource Benefits

Different from many other oceanic nations where tree loss has reduced wood resources, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for constructing major boats.

“There, they often use modern composites. Here, we can still work with whole trees,” he says. “It makes a significant advantage.”

The boats built under the initiative combine Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Academic Integration

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been educating students in navigation and heritage building techniques at the local university.

“For the first time ever these topics are included at graduate studies. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy during these journeys.”

Island Cooperation

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

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

Political Engagement

During the summer, Tikoure travelled to the European location to share a “Kanak vision of the ocean” when he had discussions with Macron and other leaders.

Addressing official and international delegates, he argued for cooperative sea policies based on Indigenous traditions and local engagement.

“It’s essential to include these communities – particularly people dependent on marine resources.”

Current Development

Now, when sailors from throughout the region – from the Fijian islands, Micronesia and New Zealand – come to Lifou, they study canoes together, modify the design and eventually navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the traditional forms, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, teaching navigation and advocating environmental policy are connected.

“The fundamental issue involves how we involve people: who is entitled to navigate marine territories, and what authority governs which activities take place on it? Heritage boats is a way to begin that dialogue.”