ATAKAPA INDIANS. The Atakapa (Attakapa, Attacapa) Indians,
including such subgroups as the Akokisas and Deadoses, occupied
the coastal and bayou areas of southwestern Louisiana and
southeastern Texas until the early 1800s. Such groups as the
Akokisas and Deadoses lived west of the lower Neches River,
while the Atakapas proper occupied the territory east of the
lower Neches extending into Louisiana. Archeological studies of
this area suggest that settlements have been present since
before American Indians learned to make pottery, about the time
of the birth of Christ. Atakapa means "eaters of men" in
Choctaw, but the question has been raised whether the Atakapas'
cannibalism was for subsistence or ritual. Village chiefs in the
mid-1700s included Canoe, El Gordo, Mateo, and Calzones
Colorados. Atakapan society consisted of loose bands that moved
from place to place within a set area or territory gathering,
hunting, and fishing. The alligator was important to them, for
it provided meat, oil, and hides. The oil o