Sunta

Overview

Sunta is a member of the Irgen Gioro clan recorded in Volume 15 of the *General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. The verifiable information provided in the original entry includes his affiliation with the Plain White Banner, his ancestral home in "Zhakumu," and his category of submission (year of arrival unknown). The genealogy records his career as follows: his son, Maise, was originally an Imperial Censor; his grandson, Ma'ertai, was originally an Imperial Censor; and Tuobao was originally a scribe. The kinship hierarchy and statuses such as "former" and "current" are retained as in the original entry. At this stage, Sunta's official position, rank, or birth and death are not inferred from the official positions of his descendants. Relevant institutional terms should be understood according to the Qing Dynasty context: "Biteshi" in Manchu is "bithesi," referring to a clerk handling translation, copying, archives, and official document circulation; "bithe" means written text, and "bithei" is the genitive form of "written text," and these should not be confused with official titles; "Imperial Censor" was a supervisory official responsible for investigation and impeachment; the original entry does not specify the departmental divisions or the length of service. "Zhakumu" retains the historical place name spelling in genealogy books; there may be different places with the same name, different spellings, and changes in jurisdiction, so it cannot be directly matched with a certain administrative region today.