Gakhashan

Overview

Gakhashan was a bondservant of the Xilin Gioro clan, belonging to the Bordered Blue Banner. His family had lived in Huifa for generations and submitted to the Qing dynasty during the Tiancong era. The official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 17, notes that he was of the same clan as Zapusa, a fellow townsman of the Plain Yellow Banner, but does not list them as brothers. Tiancong was the reign title used by Huang Taiji before his entry into the Central Plains; this statement of submission indicates the approximate time, not a specific year. The original genealogy records that his great-grandson Dongxi served as a seventh-rank official; his great-great-grandson Hushita served as a cavalry captain; Samuha served as a sixth-rank ceremonial officer; and Sabihan served as a military officer. His fourth-generation descendant, Seke, served as a cavalry captain; Nuomi served as an imperial censor; and Zhaosange served as a cavalry captain at that time. Ceremonial officers participated in the ceremonial affairs of their respective institutions, and imperial censors were supervisory officials responsible for investigating officials and reviewing government affairs; these individuals cannot all be considered military officers. Bondservants were a specific subordinate status within the banner; their descendants holding supervisory and military positions must be preserved according to the original genealogy. The seventh-rank official position only records the rank and is insufficient to determine Dongxi's specific duties. This entry is not found in the official position of Gakhashan himself, the actual village of Huifa, or the direct paternal lineage of his descendants.