Danda La

Overview

Dandala was a member of the Irgen Gioro clan of the Bordered White Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Yehe for generations and submitted to the Qing Dynasty at its inception. The official clan genealogy of the Qianlong era, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 12, does not record his official position, but it does record that his son, Heheqi, served as a Guardsman; his grandson, Moerhun, served as a Cavalry Commander; Wudana served as a Ceremonial Officer; Tuhuqi served as a Guardsman; and his great-grandson, Ladai, served as a Cavalry Commander. The listed generational order should be preserved separately; the similarity in official titles should not be used to presume that father and son held the same position.

Guardsman was involved in the management of the guards and their duties; Cavalry Commanders were associated with the management of banner troops; Ceremonial Officers were ceremonial officials within the system of prefectures and other institutions, with duties different from the former two. The original entry does not mention the princely residence to which Wudana belonged, nor does it specify the specific camp or term of office of the Guardsman. General institutional descriptions can only help understand the official titles and cannot be extended to establish a definite fact that an individual served in a particular prefecture.

Yuansun De'ertu and Sele were respectively listed as Yunqiwei (yunqiwei), while fourth-generation descendant Wujin Taiji is the current Zuoling (zuoling (company captain)) and Wenping is the current Siku (sidu (reading official)). Yunqiwei was a hereditary title for meritorious officials, Zuoling was a banner-based administrative position, and Siku was responsible for the treasury. The initial granting and succession process is not recorded, so the two Yunqiwei cannot be directly linked into a single chain of succession. Dandala's personal history, his paternal lineage, and the location of his former residence in Yehe still require further investigation.