Квапав, Native Americans of the Siouan language family and of the Plains culture area. After migrating from the Atlantic coast, the Quapaw lived in what is now eastern Arkansas, near the mouth of the Arkansas River. An agricultural people, they resided in villages made up of communal longhouses. They were skilled artisans, known particularly for their pottery. In 1818 they ceded their lands to the United States government. When the land was opened to European-American settlers, the Quapaw were moved first to Louisiana and, in the mid-1800s, to a reservation in Oklahoma. Today, most Quapaw still live in the Oklahoma area.