Tem people

Ethnic group in West Africa Ethnic group TemTem Cavalier in Sokodé, Togo.Total population417 000Regions with significant populationsTogo339 000Ghana60 000Benin18 000LanguagesTem, FrenchReligionIslam (Sunni) The Tem (also known as the Temba or Kotokoliare) an ethnic group of West Africa, mainly living in Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. There is reported to be about 417,000 of the Tem, with 339,000 in Togo, 60,000 in Ghana and 18,000 in Benin. They speak the Tem language. Ethnology The Tem are referred to by a number of terms: Chaucho, Cotocoli, Cotokol, Kiamba, Kotokoli, Kotokolis, Kotokol, Temba, Tems, Timn, Tim, and Timu. Historically, they were also referred to as lions (gouni), named after the local area "Lion Forest" (Gounilawou). History Map of the Tchaoudjo Kingdom in modern northern Togo Little is known about the history of the Tem before the colonisation period. The Tem originated as a coalition of Gurma chiefdoms who settled around Sokodé during the 17th or 18th century, founding the Tchaoudjo Kingdom. The Tem originated in Burkina Faso, settling along the White Volta before most migrated to Togo and Benin. Over several centuries, many people groups such as the Hau