The Tikar (formally known as Tikari, Tigar, Tigari, and Tigre throughout their history)[2] are a Central African ethnic group in Cameroon.

[4] According to the Bamenda City Council the Tikari groups migrated from Northern Nigeria to settle in the highlands of western Cameroon.

One of the few African ethnic groups to practice a monotheistic traditional religion, the Tikar refer to God the Creator by the name Nyuy.

However, the Kom, Nso, Bamum, Ndop-Bamunka, and Bafut peoples are the only ethnic groups that anthropologists and historians believe have a legitimate claim to Tikar lineage.

However, oral traditions and DNA testing conducted by companies such as African Ancestry, Inc. have demonstrated that these groups are genetically distinct.

According to Molefi Kente Asante, the "Bamum and the Tikar are renowned as great artists who create monumental sculptures of bronze and beads.

E. M. Chilver and Phyllis Mary Kaberry suggested that claims of Tikar ancestry by smaller Grassfields groups may often be political in nature.

[8] Groups claiming descent from Tikar fondoms include the Bambili, Oku, Kom, Bum, Bafut, Nso, 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.

[12] However, anthropologists and historians generally agree that only the Kom, Nso, Bamum, Ndop-Bamunka, and Bafut peoples have credible claims to Tikar ancestry.

[8][9] Oral tradition asserts that the Tikar people originally inhabited the Nile River valley in present-day Sudan.

[18][19] 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.

[2] Eldridge Mohammadou hypothesized that Tikar kingdoms were established by invaders from the Bare-Chamba group, who overthrew local Mbum rulers in the 18th century.

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.

[8] An alternate account suggests that Chief Tinki eventually became Fon and ruled until his death in 1387, which triggered a series of violent battles for the throne at Rifum.

[20] In this version, Nchare Yen, along with his siblings Mbe (also called Morunta) and Ngonnso (or Nguonso), fled Rifum fearing for their lives.

[22] While many enslaved Cameroonians and Nigerians were shipped from the Bight of Biafra, significant numbers of Tikar and Duala were sold upriver to Sierra Leone and downriver to Angola.

[23] The Tikar language (also called Tigé, Tigré or Tikari) has four regional dialects, including Túmú, which spoken in Bankim and Nditam.

[23] Genetic testing found that many Tikar belong to Haplogroup L3e, which is prevalent in Central and East Africa, and the Canary Islands.

[25][26] A 2023 study of twelve indigenous African populations across Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa uncovered genomic variants that researchers used to reconstruct admixture events and phylogenetic relationships.

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.

[30] Genetic testing showed that the descendants of these stolen people of the Tikar-Pygmy cluster translocated the mtdna Haplogroup L3 to the Americas when they were forcibly taken.

[34] Tikar horns and trumpets play a significant role in spiritual and cultural ceremonies with each design being purposefully sculpted for a specific event.

[35] 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.

[36] Surrounded by great grasslands, the Tikar people developed a unique understanding of nature and performed planting rituals to bless seeds and work implements.

[39] The Fulani conquest was brief and did not result in Islamization, although this faith was accepted by a later Bamum ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Mbouombouo Njoya, in the early 20th century.