Bringing Back the Ancient Art of Canoe Making in New Caledonia

In October on the island of Lifou, a ancient-style canoe was set afloat in the coastal lagoon – a small act that signified a highly meaningful moment.

It was the first launch of a ancestral vessel on Lifou in many decades, an occasion that united the island’s primary tribal groups in a uncommon display of togetherness.

Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was instrumental in the launch. For the last eight years, he has led a program that seeks to restore ancestral vessel construction in New Caledonia.

Numerous traditional boats have been crafted in an initiative designed to reconnect native Kanak communities with their seafaring legacy. Tikoure says the boats also help the “start of conversation” around sea access rights and environmental policies.

Diplomatic Efforts

During the summer month of July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, pushing for marine policies developed alongside and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea.

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

Canoes hold deep cultural significance in New Caledonia. They once stood for travel, interaction and tribal partnerships across islands, but those customs faded under foreign occupation and outside cultural pressures.

Tradition Revival

The initiative started in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to restore heritage vessel construction methods. Tikoure worked with the administration and two years later the canoe construction project – known as Project Kenu Waan – was established.

“The hardest part didn’t involve harvesting timber, it was convincing people,” he notes.

Program Successes

The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore heritage voyaging practices, mentor apprentice constructors and use canoe-making to strengthen traditional heritage and island partnerships.

Up to now, the group has produced an exhibition, released a publication and facilitated the construction or restoration of approximately thirty vessels – from the far south to the northern shoreline.

Resource Benefits

In contrast to many other island territories where deforestation has limited wood resources, New Caledonia still has appropriate timber for crafting substantial vessels.

“There, they often employ synthetic materials. Here, we can still craft from natural timber,” he states. “This creates all the difference.”

The canoes created under the initiative combine Polynesian hull design with local sailing systems.

Teaching Development

Beginning this year, Tikoure has also been teaching maritime travel and heritage building techniques at the University of New Caledonia.

“This marks the initial occasion these topics are taught at advanced education. It’s not theory – these are experiences I’ve personally undertaken. I’ve sailed vast distances on these vessels. I’ve felt overwhelming happiness while accomplishing this.”

Island Cooperation

He traveled with the team of the Fijian vessel, the heritage craft that traveled to Tonga for the regional gathering in 2024.

“From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, including our location, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re restoring the sea as a community.”

Policy Advocacy

During the summer, Tikoure visited the French city to share a “Traditional understanding of the ocean” when he conferred with Macron and other leaders.

Addressing official and foreign officials, he argued for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and participation.

“You have to involve them – particularly those who live from fishing.”

Contemporary Evolution

Today, when mariners from throughout the region – from Fiji, Micronesia and Aotearoa – visit Lifou, they examine vessels together, modify the design and ultimately navigate in unison.

“We don’t just copy the ancient designs, we make them evolve.”

Comprehensive Vision

According to Tikoure, instructing mariners and promoting conservation measures are linked.

“It’s all about community participation: who has the right to move across the sea, and what authority governs what happens in these waters? Heritage boats is a way to initiate that discussion.”