Aita

Overview

Aita was a member of the Yitemo clan of the Plain Red Banner. Volume 42 of the official Qing dynasty compilation, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records him as a native of Yehe, who surrendered to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty and served as a Xiaoqixiao (a military officer). It also notes that he was of the same clan as Ahada, who was from the same banner and village. Xiaoqixiao was a substantive position in the corresponding military organization of the Eight Banners, and "of the same clan" refers to family ties; it cannot be concluded that the two served in the same unit.

His grandson, Bordai, also served as Xiaoqixiao; his fifth-generation grandson, Yashan, served as Bisheshi (a scribe); his great-grandson, Yashan, served as Hujunxiao (a military officer) and Beijing (a teaching assistant); his great-great-grandson, Fu'an, served as Xiaoqixiao. Both the fifth-generation grandson and Beijing are listed as personal names; the former cannot be interpreted as age, and the latter as place of service. The specific school of the teaching assistant still needs further verification.

The Manchu title for Bisheshi was bithesi, responsible for documents and related written affairs, different from military positions such as Xiaoqixiao and Hujunxiao; teaching assistant was an educational title. Therefore, this entry includes both the individual's military rank and the civil and military positions of his descendants. The fact that Bordai and Fu'an both served as Xiaoqixiao does not individually prove that their positions were automatically inherited by Aita, and the original genealogy does not record a Yunqiwei hereditary title that can be used to connect them. The Beijing, the original printed edition on the 58th, the teaching institution, the term of office of each position, and the specific ancestral home of Yehe are yet to be verified.