As nouns the difference between herdsmen and chieftain
is that herdsmen is while chieftain is a leader of a clan or tribe.
chieftain
English
Noun
(
en noun)
A leader of a clan or tribe.
A leader of a group, e.g. a robbers' chieftain.
Synonyms
* (A very powerful person) chief, big gun, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, boss, employer, foreman, head, heid bummer, leader, mandarin, manager, mover and shaker, top banana, top dog, tycoon