Nchare YenPronounced , also referred to simply as Nchare, or by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

styling of the name as Nshare Yen, or just NshareThe different spelling in the name revolves around the transcription of the sound / ʃ/, which is written in French as ⟨ch⟩ and in English as ⟨sh⟩ ( - 1418), was the founder of the

Kingdom of Bamum The Kingdom of Bamoun (also spelled Bamoum, Bamun, Bamoun, or Mum) (1394–c. 1916) is a pre-colonial Central African state in what is now northwest Cameroon. It was founded by the Bamun, an ethnic group from northeast Cameroon. Its capital was th ...

, and one of the four kings who are mainly worshiped in the traditional Bamum religion due to their achievements in the Bamum society and culture. Nchare Yen is the brother of Ngon Nso, the founder of the Kingdom of Nso. Nchare Yen was the son of an unknown

Tikar The Tikar (also Tikari, Tige, Tigar, Tigre, Tikali) are a central African people who inhabit the Western High Plateau in Cameroon. They are known as great artisans and storytellers. Once a nomadic people, some oral traditions trace the origin of ...

chief, who him and his sister broke away from to establish their own kingdoms. According to the book Rock of God, which discusses Nso history,

Nso and Bamoun had been constantly quibbling, and to many, this seemed to be mostly sibling rivalry than any unavoidable conflict. Since Nso was founded by the sister (Ngon Nso), the brother (Nchare-Yen, founder of Bamoum) always saw himself as the successor to the throne of Nso, according to the
Tikar The Tikar (also Tikari, Tige, Tigar, Tigre, Tikali) are a central African people who inhabit the Western High Plateau in Cameroon. They are known as great artisans and storytellers. Once a nomadic people, some oral traditions trace the origin of ...
tradition that they both knew and respected.

According to one of the former leaders of the Bamum,

Seidou Njimoluh Njoya Seidou Njimoluh Njoya ( Bamum: ''Sɛt-tu Nʒemɔleʔ Nʒeɔya'' , 1902 – 28 July 1992)DeLancey and DeLancey 206. ruled the Bamum people of Cameroon from 1933 to 1992 as the Sultan of Foumban and Mfon of the Bamun. Njimoluh was the son of Ibra ...

, in a 1977 interview, described Nchare Yen as being a "short man with a protuberant stomach", who was "dark in complexion, had short limbs, but was very courageous", and also "loved dancing and drinking palm wine ut wassaid to have been very charitable." Most of what is known about Nchare Yen has been passed down from both historical, religious, and cultural sources in Bamum society, and due to the obscurity of the subject matter, there is very little in the way of evidence to verify the claims given about the events of Nchare Yen's life.

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{{s-end 1370 births 1418 deaths Cameroonian traditional rulers