The Atakapa /əˈtɑːkəpə/ are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico. Europeans adopted this name from the competing Choctaw people, whom they first encountered. The Atakapan people, made up of several bands, called themselves the Ishak, pronounced "ee-SHAK", which translates as "The People." Within the tribe the Ishak identified as "The Sunrise People" and "The Sunset People". Although the people were decimated by infectious disease after European contact and declined as a tribe, survivors joined other tribes and their descendants still live in Louisiana and Texas. People identifying as Atakapa-Ishak had a gathering in 2006.