The sailor reviving the lost art of canoe building in New Caledonia
From The Guardian by Julien Mazzoni
Dozens of traditional boats made as part of a project to reconnect with culture and ‘start of conversation’ on ocean rights
A traditional canoe on Lifou island, part of the Loyalty Islands, in New Caledonia. Photograph: Aile Tikoure
In October in Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the lagoon - a small act that marked a deeply symbolic moment.
It was the first launch of a traditional canoe on Lifou in generations, an event that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity.
Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a project that aims to revive traditional boat making in New Caledonia, a territory of France in the Pacific ocean.
Dozens of canoes have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure says the boats also help the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies.
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