The Wicocomico, Wiccocomoco, Wighcocomoco, or Wicomico /waɪkɛ'kɑːməkɛ/(originally called the Wicacoan) were an Algonquian-speaking tribe who lived in Northumberland County, Virginia, at the head and slightly north of the Little Wicomico River. They were the first native people on the mainland encountered by Captain John Smith, prior to his famous interaction with and Pocahontas of the Powhatan people. Due to constant encroachment and manipulation by settlers, opportunists and Captain Smith, as well as internal conflict regarding how to respond to these, the tribe splintered. The colonial court of Virginia ordered them to merge with a smaller tribe and renamed the Wicocomico. They were assigned a flag -- and a reservation of 4,400 acres (18 km2) near Dividing Creek, south of the Great Wico