People group profile · PG012793
The Tikar of Cameroon
The Tikar of Cameroon, numbering about 190,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a people tracing origin to the Nile Valley near the ancient Meroe kingdom, who migrated over centuries to Cameroon's Bamenda Grassfields and built an empire of fifteen kingdoms founded around 933 CE before Fulani slave raids brought decline in the 1700s.
They are an indigenous people in the Bantu, Cameroon-Bamileke people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Tikar.
Fast facts
- Country
- Cameroon
- Population
- 190,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Bantu, Cameroon-Bamileke
- Primary language
- Tikar (tik)
- Primary religion
- Animism
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority
- Pioneer Unreached People Group
- Region
- Middle Africa, Africa
- Location
- Adamawa region: Mayo-Banyo division, Bankim subdivision; Centre region: Mbam-and-Kim division, Ngambe-Tikar subdivision, scattered over northwest Yoko and northeast of Foumban; North West region: Donga-Mantung division, small border area; West region: No
Where they live
Gospel status
The Tikar are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Tikar
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Primary religion
Animism · Ethnoreligion
60% adherents
Primary language
Tikar · Atlantic-Congo family
100% speak Tikar
Gospel resources in Tikar
- Bible available, published 2011
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Bibles
- 1989 Wycliffe · video, audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Tikar
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
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