The job of bantha herders was to herd banthas.
Those who herded banthas were known as bantha herders. Banthas themselves are large, furry mammals (see: banthas). In 382 BBY, Yana Ro, a female Evereni, was doing a job for Elecia Zeveron, who was the Mother of the Path of the Open Hand cult. During this time, Ro thought of a dockmaster at Port Haileap on the Outer Rim planet Haileap as a bantha herder. Similarly, while on a mission on the Outer Rim planet Metagos in 32 BBY, Jedi Master Mace Windu referred to the Iotran Commander Nils Slithis as a bantha herder as Slithis pursued him in a ship.
Neeku Vozo of the Kadas'sa'Nikto hails from a line of bantha herders, including his parents, on the Hutt Space planet Kintan. By 34 ABY, in order to allow their son to pursue a career as an engineer, they made the decision to sell their most valuable bantha calves. In that year, Vozo told Nikto Nenavakasa Nalor about his parents' profession as bantha herders and their sale of the calves.
The term "bantha herders" was initially mentioned within current Star Wars canon in the Resistance Rewind episode twelve. This series of short films provided insights into the making of the Star Wars Resistance animated television series episodes. It was released on the official Star Wars YouTube channel on January 14, 2019. This short film was released in conjunction with the Resistance episode "Bibo," which was the twelfth episode of first season, and aired on January 13 of that same year. In Star Wars Legends continuity, the first mention of bantha herders occurred in The Star Wars Sourcebook. This book was authored by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith, and it was published in 1987 for use with Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by West End Games.