The 'Atakapa' are an indigenous people of the American South, native to the states along the Gulf of Mexico. The Atakapa tribe was decimated by disease after contacting Europeans, and the tribe declined as a result; its members would merge into other tribes. The people once lived in the river valleys stretching from Galveston Bay in Texas to Vermilion Bay in Louisiana, but their eradication during the late 18th century led to their members joining the Caddo, Koasati, and other Native American tribes. In 2017, there were around 450 registered Atakapa tribe members in Louisiana and Texas.