Atakapa

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Pre-contact distribution of Atakapa
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Pre-contact distribution of Atakapa

The Atakapa (also Attacapan) were a Southeastern culture of Native American tribes and with a common language that lived along the Gulf of Mexico. Their territory ranged from the Trinity River and Galveston Bay in Texas to Bayou Teche and Vermillion Bay in Louisiana.

The name Atakapa is derived from the Choctaw name Atakapa meaning 'people eater' (hattak 'person', apa 'to eat'), which is a reference to the practice of cannibalism exercised by Gulf coast peoples on their enemies.

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