Suwayatu

Overview

Suwayatu was a member of the Irgen Gioro clan of the Plain Red Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Suoerhe and Bihan for generations, and he submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. The official genealogy of the Manchu clans of the Eight Banners, Volume 15, compiled during the Qianlong reign, does not record his official position. It lists his great-grandson Luocha as a former military officer, his great-great-grandson Chaqi as a former scribe, his fourth-generation descendants Wase and Chabai as former cavalry officers, and Sartai as a former scribe. His fifth-generation descendants, Forty-Six and Chanbai, are listed as current cavalry officers.

Military officers were involved in the management and guard duties of the Imperial Guard, cavalry officers in the affairs of the banner's soldiers, and scribes handled official documents, copying, and translation. All these titles cannot be interpreted as cavalry officers in general. Forty-Six is a personal name, not forty-six soldiers or officials; "currently" refers to his position at the time of the genealogy's compilation, not his present tense.

The appearance of the same official title across great-grandsons to fifth-generation descendants does not prove a formal hereditary succession to the same post. The original entry does not include each person's direct father's name, nor does it specify the military unit, department, or term of office. Sol and Bihan are historical compound place names, and the unverified identity of the Han army cannot be derived from the Chinese characters Bihan. The individual's activities, location, name separation, and complete paternal lineage still require verification from the original inscription and archives.