36 The Atlantis Encyclopedia
Atapaska
The Ascohimi Indians’ flood-hero, who arrived on the shores of North America
after some oceanic catastrophe. They relate that the world was deluged as the
result of a powerful earthquake, during which the air became extremely hot,
followed by a prolonged period of intense cold. Their tribal memory accurately
describes a celestial collision of a comet or associated meteoric debris with the
Earth, preceding the aftereffect of a so-called “dust veil event,” wherein thousands
of cubic kilometers of ash are extruded into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight
and drastically lowering world temperatures. Just such a catastrophe connected
with the final destruction of Atlantis and simultaneous close of the Bronze Age
did indeed take place around the start of the 13th century B.C.
The Athabascan Indians of Alaska derived their tribal name from their
Atlantean ancestor, Atapaska.Atara
Among the Guanche, the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands, the word
for “mountain,” apparently derived from and related to the Atlantean mythic
concept of the sacred mountain of Atlas.Atarantes
“Of Atlantis.” A people residing on the Atlantic shores of Morocco and
described by various classical writers (Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, etc.).Atas
Natives inhabiting the mountainous central region of Mindanao, a large
southern island in the Philippines. They tell how the Great Flood “covered the
whole Earth, and all the Atas were drowned except for two men and a woman.
The waters carried them far away.” An eagle offered to save them, but one of
the men refused, so the bird took up the other man and woman, carrying them
to safety on the island of Mapula. Here the Atas were reborn and eventually
multiplied sufficiently to conquer the entire Philippines. The Atas still claim
descent from these light-skinned invaders who, over time, intermarried with
the Negritos and aboriginal peoples.Atauro
A small island near East Timor, memorializing in native tradition a larger
landmass, long ago swallowed by the sea.