Dunbai

Overview

Dunbai was a member of the Siktiri clan. The official Qing dynasty compilation, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 34, records him as a member of the Bordered White Banner, originally from Neyin, but the year of his submission is unknown. His great-grandson, Zhantai, served as a sixth-rank official, and his great-great-grandson, Majin, served as a cavalry commander during the compilation, noting a change of affiliation from the Plain Yellow Banner. This change of affiliation indicates a change in banner organization, not a change in clan name.

The Bordered White Banner and the Plain Yellow Banner were two of the Eight Banners, and banner registration involved military affairs and the household registration and military records of banner members. A cavalry commander was responsible for leading their assigned cavalry and handling daily military affairs; a sixth-rank official only had rank information, and in the Qing dynasty, each rank was further divided into principal and subordinate positions, corresponding to multiple posts. Zhantai could not have been directly appointed as a sixth-rank cavalry commander or clerk.

The great-grandson and great-great-grandson belonged to different generations, so Majin's official position was not transferred to Dunbai; the specific scope of those from the same family who changed affiliation also needs to be confirmed by the original inscription and compilation records. Neyin is a historical ancestral home and cannot be merged with a modern village based solely on its name. Its location, official position (sixth rank), and the time of reassignment are pending verification. The year of its return to the former territory is unknown but still retained, and it is not subject to the early years of the previous dynasty.