Tikar people

The Tikar are a Northern Bantoid ethnic group native to Cameroon.

Tikar
A Tikar family in Northwest Region, Cameroon
Total population
168,000[1]
Languages
Tikar language
Religion
Islam, Traditional African religions, Evangelicalism[2]
Related ethnic groups
Bamum people and Bafia people

There is no single ethnic group called the Tikar but some tribes especially the Bamum people and the Bafia people are directly related to them, also some people claim to be their descendants like American slave who believe to be their descendants and other living on the Tikar Plain in Adamawa Region. They speak a Bantoid language called Tikar. Their population is approximately 25,000. The Bedzan pygmies (who also live on the Tikar Plain) share their language. The main Tikar towns are Bankim, Ngambe Tikar, and Magba.


The Tikar have elements of matrilineal and patrilineal descent. Their folk belief states that during pregnancy the blood that the woman would normally release during menstruation forms parts of the fetus. This blood is said to form the skin, blood, flesh and most of the organs. The bones, brain, heart and teeth are believed to be formed from the father's sperm.[3] In the case of a son, the masculinity also comes from this. The Tikar are also noted as mask-makers.


Debatable scholarship tries to question the broader use of the name Tikar to identify many villages and towns in North West, West, and Centre regions. It is wrongly asserted that the connection to Tikar is invoked by the royal families. Many royal families originated in courageous leadership or free choice of a person by the migrating group. But the customs guiding the people are undoubtedly Tikar. Languages are harder to pin down but traditional dances, burial rites, and marriage customs reflect a continuity across these many groups.

On the 2006 PBS television program African American Lives, the musician Quincy Jones had his DNA tested; the test showed him to be of Tikar descent. In the PBS television program Finding Your Roots, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice learned she shared maternal heritage with the Tikar. Producer/Musician Flying Lotus is also descended from the Tikar.[4]

Notable people of Tikar descent
  • Vanessa A Williams, American actress and producer
  • Patricia H. Lee, American law professor, attorney and author
  • Quincy Jones, American music producer
  • Flying Lotus, American hip hop producer
  • Brian B.C. Cunningham, American businessman and real estate developer
  • Sheryl Lee Ralph, American actress, singer, author, and activist
  • Condoleezza Rice, American diplomat, political scientist, civil servant, and professor who served as the 66th United States Secretary of State
  • Spike Lee, American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and professor
  • Don Cheadle, American actor, author, director, producer and writer
  • Anthony Anderson, American actor, comedian, writer, and game show host
  • Joakim Noah, American basketball player
  • Jordan Siebatcheu, American football player
  • Justin Che

References
  1. "Tikar, Twumwu in Cameroon | Joshua Project".
  2. "PeopleGroups.org - Tikar".
  3. "descent/graphics - Page 1". Lucy.ukc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  4. "Video: Flying Lotus Learns About His African Roots". Complex. February 5, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
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