Lala Li

Overview

Volume 15 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* includes Lalali in the appendix of the Irgen Gioro clan. It registers his banner affiliation as a bondservant of the Plain Yellow Banner, his ancestral home as "Changbai Mountain," and places him in the "Returning from Tiancong" group. "Returning from Tiancong" is a grouping for submission in the genealogy; Tiancong was the reign title of Huang Taiji. The original entry did not specify the year or month, so the timeframe cannot be narrowed further. Being a bondservant of the Plain Yellow Banner indicates the banner affiliation of this branch at the time of compilation; the term "bondservant" refers to a subordinate status within the Eight Banners and the Imperial Household Department system, and cannot be simply equated with a modern-day household servant, nor can it be inferred that an individual's legal status remained unchanged. The genealogy records his resume as follows: his son, Yifu, was originally a shepherd; his grandson, Qilanbao, was originally a deputy commander. The kinship hierarchy and statuses such as "former" and "current" are retained as in the original entry. At this stage, Lalali's official position, rank, or birth and death are not inferred from the official positions of his descendants. The relevant institutional terms should be understood according to the Qing Dynasty context: the Deputy Inner Steward assisted in managing the population and duties under the jurisdiction of the Steward of the Imperial Household Department, indicating that his resume was within the bondservant organization system; the Pasture Chief was responsible for the affairs of the herds and pastures, and the place of office could not be inferred solely from the title.