Fotene

Overview

Fotene was a member of the Kuyala clan of the Plain White Banner. The official Qing dynasty compilation, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 34, records him as a native of Hunchun, but the year of his submission is unknown. His grandson, Aihushan, served as a zuoling (banner-company commander), and his great-grandsons, Ashan and Bakshina, served as zuoling at the time of compilation. Arzhu served as a Second-Class Imperial Guard, and Balmeng'a as a Xiaoqi Xiao (Qiduwei). Other clan members included Bused as a Blue-Lanyard Imperial Guard and Hemunu as a Third-Class Imperial Guard, positions held by collateral branches.

The zuoling managed the basic household registration and military records of the Eight Banners, while the Xiaoqi Xiao led their subordinate Xiaoqi cavalry in military affairs. Imperial Guards participated in the emperor's guard duties. Second-Class and Third-Class Imperial Guards differed in rank or category from Blue-Lanyard Imperial Guards and could not all be converted to the same official position. Multiple members of the same surname serving as zuoling do not directly prove continuous hereditary succession within the same organization.

Ashan and Bakshina are understood as parallel names in the original text; Bakshina should not be interpreted literally as a scholar's title. Hunchun was their historical ancestral home; its specific area needs to be compared with the later Hunchun region. The punctuation of personal names, clan relationships, the location of Hunchun, and the organization of the zuoling (military commanders) are pending verification. The original and current officials are understood based on the compilation time, and the year of their submission is not added.