Moke

Overview

Moke was a member of the Zhangjia clan of the Plain Red Banner. Volume 40 of the official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he originally lived in the Changbai Mountains region and served as a zuoling (a military officer), noting that he was transferred from the banner's bondservant status. This indicates a change in bondservant status, not simply a change from the Plain Red Banner to another banner, nor does it automatically prove a migration of ancestral home.

Boatservant were a specific social group within the Eight Banners, not equivalent to ordinary employees in modern times; a change in status from bondservant to surname is a different matter, and the text still identifies him as a Zhangjia clan member. The zuoling managed the basic organizational structure within the banner and was an actual official position, not a simply accumulated rank of nobility.

His sons, Hasiha, served as Hujunxiao (a military officer) and Serteng as Sandeng Huwei (a third-class guard). Hujunxiao belonged to the Hujun system, while Sandeng Huwei belonged to the guard system of princely residences, different from Sandeng Shiwei (an imperial bodyguard); the positions of his two sons cannot be combined into Moke's own official career. The specific organizational structure before and after the reassignment, and whether and when it affected the affiliation of future generations, requires separate records and cannot be deduced retroactively from the son's official appointment. The date of the reassignment, the original affiliation of the bondservant, the ancestral residence, and the various positions are pending verification.