 An Attakapas, by Alexandre De Batz, 1735 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| United States (Louisiana, Texas) | |
| Languages | |
| English, French, Spanish, Atakapa | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Indigenous religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| isolate language group, intermarried with Caddo, Koasati,[1] and Houma[2] |
The Atakapa /əˈtækəpə, -pɑː/[3][4] or Atacapa were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana.
They included several distinct bands. They spoke the Atakapa language, which was a linguistic isolate.
After 1762, when Louisiana was transferred to Spain following French defeat in the Seven Years' War, little was written about the Atakapa as a people. Due to a high rate of deaths from infectious epidemics of the late 18th century, they ceased to function as a people. Survivors generally joined the Caddo, Koasati, and other neighboring peoples, although they kept some traditions. Some culturally distinct Atakapan descendants survived into the early 20th century.[1]