Who Were the Atakapans?

 

→ How do you pronounce "Atakapa"? What does it mean?
Atakapa is pronounced "ah-tah-kah-pah." It comes from a Choctaw word meaning "man-eaters." They called themselves Ishak, "the people."

→ Does that mean the Atakapas were cannibals?
          According to traditional Choctaw stories, the Atakapas practiced cannibalism on defeated enemies. However, nobody knows for sure if these were true stories or just legends. No proof of Atakapa cannibalism has been found, and the Europeans who met the Atakapas did not witness this behavior themselves. It's possible the Choctaw name "Atakapa" was actually intended to refer to the Karankawas, who were known for their cannibal war practices, and the French misunderstood the stories.

→ Where do the Atakapa Indians live?
          The Atakapas are original people of southwest Louisiana and southeastern Texas. Most Atakapa-Ishak descendants are still living there today.

→ How is the Atakapa Indian nation organized?
          The Atakapa tribe is not federally recognized in the United States. That means Atakapa people today do not have a reservation or their own government. But the Atakapas do have tribal communities where they continue to practice their culture.

→ What language do the Atakapas speak?
          Most Atakapa people speak English today. Some Atakapas, especially older people, speak a Cajun French dialect. In the past, Atakapa Indians spoke their own Atakapa language. The Atakapa Indian language has not been spoken since the early 1900's, but some Atakapa people are trying to learn their ancestral language again.

→ How do Atakapa Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
          They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Atakapa children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But they did have toys and games to play with. Chunkey and stickball were popular sports among teenage boys as they were among adult men.

→ What were men and women's roles in the Atakapa tribe?
          Atakapa Indian men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Atakapa women gathered plants, made clothing, and did most of the child care and cooking. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, ceremonial dances, and traditional medicine. Only men usually became Atakapa chiefs.

→ What were Atakapa homes like in the past?
          Atakapa people lived in brush shelters, which were small huts made of grass and reeds built around a simple wooden framework. These brush houses were not large or fancy, but they were easy to build and move from place to place, so they fit the Atakapa lifestyle.

→ What was Atakapa clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
          Atakapa men wore breechcloths. Atakapa women wore wraparound skirts made of deerskin or woven fiber. Shirts were not necessary in Atakapa culture, but men and women both wore mantles in cooler weather. The Atakapas usually went barefoot, but sometimes they also wore moccasins on their feet.
          The Atakapas didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Some Atakapa warriors wore porcupine hair roaches and shaved their heads in the Mohawk style. Other Atakapa men wore their hair long, like the women. The Atakapas didn't usually paint their faces, but they did decorate their bodies with tribal tattoos. Both men and women wore tattoos in the Atakapa tribe.

→ What was Atakapa transportation like in the days before cars? Did the Atakapas paddle canoes?
          Yes--the Atakapa Indians made long dugout canoes from hollowed-out cypress logs. Over land, the Atakapas used dogs as pack animals. (There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.) Today, of course, Atakapa people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

→ What was Atakapa food like in the days before supermarkets?
          Unlike their neighbors the Chitimachas, the Atakapa Indians didn't do much farming. Instead, they made their livelihood as hunters and fishermen. Most of their diet was fish and seafood (including oysters, shrimp, and crabs.) Atakapa men also hunted big game like deer, buffalo, and alligators, and women gathered fruit, nuts, and wild honey.

→ What were Atakapa weapons and tools like in the past?
          Atakapa hunters used bows and arrows. Fishermen used nets, traps, or hooks made of bone. An Atakapa warrior fired his bow or fought with a hand-to-hand weapon like a club.

→ What are Atakapa arts and crafts like?
          The Atakapas liked to travel light-- they didn't use much furniture, for example-- but they were famous for their fine red clay pottery.

→ What other Native Americans did the Atakapa tribe interact with?
          The Atakapas traded regularly with neighboring tribes like the Chitimacha and Caddo tribes. Sometimes they fought battles with the Choctaw and Natchez bands.