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The Tikar (formally known as Tikari, Tigar, Tigari, and Tigre throughout their history) are a ethnic group in Cameroon. They are known to be great , and Oral tradition. Once a nomadic people, some trace the origin of the Tikar people to the Nile River Valley in present-day Sudan. Such ethnic groups were referred to in the 1969 official statistics as "Semi-Bantus" and "Sudanese Negroes." They speak a Northern Bantoid language called Tikar language. One of the few African ethnic groups to practice a monotheistic traditional religion, the Tikar refer to God by the name Nyuy. They also have an extensive spiritual system of ancestral reverence.
Grassfields ethnic groups make up approximately 9.9% of Cameroon's population. This could be due to the high number of Tikar people who were kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Americas. The Bamum people people and other ethnic groups have also asserted their link to the Tikar people through Tikar rulers in the Kingdom of Bamum. However, the Kom, Nso people, Bamum people, Ndop-Bamunka, and Bafut people peoples are the only ethnic groups that anthropologists and historians believe have a legitimate claim to Tikar lineage.
There are currently six adjoining Tikar kingdoms: Bankim (Kimi), Ngambé-Tikar, Kong (Nkong/Boikouong), Nditam (Bandam), Ngoumé, and Gâ (Ntchi). The boundaries of these kingdoms have remained since German colonizers arrived in Cameroon.
Today, there is ongoing debate about whether the Tikar should be considered a distinct ethnic group, like the Hausa people, or if the term serves as a general label for multiple groups. Some smaller communities assert that they descend from the Tikar people. Although these claims are heavily contested, one ethnic group in modern Cameroon identifies as Tikar and is recognized as directly descending from the original Tikar people.
Debates persist regarding the broader use of the term Tikar/Tikari to designate many villages and towns in northwestern Cameroon. Additionally, some ethnic groups in the region claim Tikar descent through royal bloodlines. However, oral traditions and DNA testing conducted by companies such as African Ancestry, Inc. have demonstrated that these groups are genetically distinct. While some individuals receive Tikar of Cameroon results, others are identified as Bamileke of Cameroon.
The Bamum people and other groups have also asserted connections to the Tikar people through Tikar rulers of the Kingdom of Bamum. According to Molefi Kente Asante, the "Bamum and the Tikar are renowned as great artists who create monumental sculptures of bronze and beads. Cultural exchanges between the Tikar and the Bamum have enriched both groups. For instance, the Bamum adopted numerous words from the Tikar language, as well as from other languages, including Fanji language, Bamali language, and Bambalang." Anthropologists have also noted cultural similarities between the Tikar and the Bamum. E. M. Chilver and Phyllis Kaberry suggested that claims of Tikar ancestry by smaller Grassfields groups may often be political in nature.
Small communities of Hausa people in Cameroon also identify as Tikar. Groups claiming descent from Tikar fondoms include the Bambili, Oku, Kom, Bum, Bafut, Nso people, Mbiame, Wiya, Tang, War, Mbot, Mbem, Fungom, Weh, Mmen, Bamunka, Babungo, Bamessi, Bamessing, Bambalang, Bamali, Bafanji, Baba (Papiakum), Bangola, Big Babanki, Babanki Tungo, Nkwen, and Bambui. However, anthropologists and historians generally agree that only the Kom, Nso, Bamum people, Ndop-Bamunka, and Bafut peoples have credible claims to Tikar ancestry.
Professor and social anthropologist David Zeitlyn analyzed Tikar origin theories proposed by various historians, including Eldridge Mohammadou, who researched the history of central Cameroon and Tikar-speaking groups. Zeitlyn noted that "the main question at issue is the origin of the founders of the dynasties and the palace institutions of the different Tikar-speaking groups. How much credit is to be given to claims of Mbum origin? To answer this, a variety of evidence must be considered, including oral tradition and historical linguistics." While some researchers argue there is no evidence that the Tikar ever lived along the Nile, others contend that there is also no evidence to disprove it. These opposing views, supported by oral traditions and the overall uncertainty of Tikar origins, underscore the need for further exploration.
Eldridge Mohammadou hypothesized that Tikar kingdoms were established by invaders from the Bare-Chamba group, who overthrew local Mbum rulers in the 18th century. According to him, the term Tikar originally referred to the political and military elite of these invaders. Mohammadou also suggested that the Mbum were the region's original inhabitants and spread their culture and language through peaceful interactions and trade. However, Zeitlyn identified several issues with Mohammadou's arguments, including the lack of concrete evidence for Bare-Chamba invasions, confusion between groups with similar names, and insufficient consideration of oral traditions and linguistic evidence.
Zeitlyn also questioned Mohammadou's claim that the Bamum history diverges significantly from that of Claude Tardits, who argued that the Bamum resulted from a gradual process of cultural and political integration rather than a sudden conquest. Zeitlyn compared Mohammadou's conclusions with those of Jean Hurault, who attributed regional change primarily to the influence of the Fulbe, rather than the Bare-Chamba.
In the first wave of migrations, Prince Ncharé (also called Njáré) founded the Kingdom of Bamum, Princess N'Gouen (also called Nguonso) established the Nso people (also called Banso), and Prince Doundje established the Kingdom of Nditam (also called Bandam), ruling alongside Queen Mother Nduingnyi. Later Prince Kpo departed Nditam to found the Kingdom of Ngoumé, and Prince G'Batteu created the Kingdom of Gâ.
In the second wave of migration, Prince Mbli left Bankim to establish the Kingdom of Kong, while Prince Indie and Prince Ouhin migrated south, founding the villages of We and Ina, respectively. However, these settlements never developed into full-fledged kingdoms.
Despite the historical ties between the Bamum and Tikar peoples, they are considered distinct ethnic groups today.
A 2023 study of twelve indigenous African populations across Central, East Africa, and Southern Africa uncovered genomic variants that researchers used to reconstruct admixture events and phylogenetic relationships. The results revealed that the Tikar people have "23% ancestry related to an archaic population that diverged prior to the divergence of all modern human populations (possibly reflecting introgression from an archaic population into modern populations) and 77% ancestry from a population related to the Nilo-Saharan-speaking Mursi people" people of Ethiopia. The study also found that "The Fulani derived 50% of their ancestry from a population related to the Amhara people and 50% from a population related to the Tikari (consistent with TreeMix results with three migration events)."
A 2010 study showed that the Tikar are a genetic outlier to peoples of Nigeria's Cross River region, Igboland and Ghana, showing significant differences. Similarly, a 2023 study found that self-identified Tikar who live in the Adamawa Region and speak the Tikar language belong to a different genetic cluster than the self-identified Tikar who live amongst other Grassfields ethnic groups and do not speak the Tikar language. It concluded that persons from Cameroon and Sudan "showed the greatest reduction in genetic similarity with distance, which remained even after only comparing people belonging to the same ethnic group". The same study found Tikar-related genetic variations amongst the Kongo people people of Democratic Republic of Congo, Bantu ethnic groups in Kenya, the Himba people and Damara people of Namibia, and the Eland Cave Bay remains in South Africa, the latter of which is believed to be more than 3,000 years old.
Through DNA testing with African Ancestry, Inc., founded by geneticist Rick Kittles and entrepreneur Dr. Gina Paige, people of African descent across the United States, South America and the Caribbean have been able to trace their lineages to the Tikar people of Cameroon. Genetic testing showed that the descendants of these stolen people of the Tikar-Aka people cluster translocated the mtdna Haplogroup L3 to the Americas when they were forcibly taken. As a result, L3 is fairly common in the United States and Brazil today.
Menang is a traditional dance of the Tikar.
Tikar horns and trumpets play a significant role in spiritual and cultural ceremonies with each design being purposefully sculpted for a specific event. The same can be said for elaborate grassland palaces, which feature hand-carved pillars supporting the roof overhangs, an ensemble of door posts, lintels and sills framing the entrance, as well as the interior doorways facing the open courtyards.
The Tikar also had their own cultural beliefs regarding birthing. It was once believed that during pregnancy, the blood that the woman would normally release during menstruation forms parts of the fetus. This blood was said to form the skin, blood, flesh and most of the organs. The bones, brain, heart and teeth were believed to be formed from the father's sperm. In the case of a son, the masculinity also came from this.
"The skulls are in the possession of the eldest living male in each lineage, and all members of an extended family recognize the same skulls as belonging to their group. When a family decides to relocate, a dwelling, which must be first purified by a diviner, is built to house the skulls in the new location. Although not all of the ancestral skulls are in the possession of a family, they are not forgotten. These spirits have nowhere to reside, though, and may as a result cause trouble for the family. To compensate when a man's skull is not preserved, a family member must undergo a ceremony involving pouring libations into the ground. Earth gathered from the site of that offering then comes to represent the skull of the deceased. Respect is also paid to female skulls, although detail about such practices is largely unrecorded." -Molefi Kete AsanteMuch of Tikar oral tradition speaks of their journey to flee the spread of Islam. After they settled in Cameroon, the Tikar people soon found themselves fleeing northern Cameroon for Adamawa Region to avoid forced-conversion to by Muslim Fula people invaders, who moved southward into Cameroon to take advantage of the lucrative, Central Africa trade route. The Tikar then migrated southward to what would become known as the city of Foumban in Northwest Cameroon. Once the Fulani followed to the south, holy war began, forcing some ethnic groups to flee yet again. Others, like the Bamun, remained, hoping to resist Islam. The Fulani conquest was brief and did not result in Islamization, although this faith was accepted by a later Bamum people ruler, Ibrahim Njoya, in the early 20th century. This created the division between the Bamum and Bafia people.
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