Definition of sachems:
(n) :
A chief of one or several Native American tribe(s), especially of the Algonquians; a sagamore.
(n) :
(informal) A boss, a leader.
(n) :
(politics) A high-ranking officer of the Tammany Hall political organization.
(n) :
(informal) (archaic) An eminent member of a group, or an eminent person in society; a sagamore.