Kela

Overview

Kela was a member of the Use Banner. Volume 50 of the officially compiled *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records that he belonged to the Plain Red Banner, residing in Yehe for generations, and submitted to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. Yehe was an important historical region in Northeast China before the Qing conquest of China; related cultural sites are preserved in Siping, Jilin Province today. The ancestral home name in the genealogy provides geographical background but cannot be directly used as a birth certificate for a modern village.

Kela's own official positions are not recorded; the main contributor to this entry for military merit is his great-grandson, Ahazhan. Ahazhan was originally a layperson who participated in the Battle of Desheng Fort in Datong, and was awarded the title of Yunqiwei for his merits. After receiving three imperial edicts, he was promoted to Third-Class Qingche duwei, a title later inherited by Ahai, Garzhu, Suoji, Manse, Bayantu, and others according to the genealogy's records.

These titles were hereditary, reflecting rewards for merit and family inheritance; Canling and Shiwei were specific military ranks. The genealogy also records that Kela's great-grandson, Norbu, served as a military commander; his great-great-grandsons, Nomuqi and Hening, also served as military commanders; Feiyazhu served as a third-class imperial bodyguard; his fourth-generation descendant, Feiyaha, served as a scribe; and his fifth-generation descendant, Xide, was a student. Military commanders were officials within the Eight Banners military and political organization, while students held a status within the school and imperial examination system and could not be listed as official titles. The dates of succession for each branch and the specific ancestral home of the Yehe people still need to be verified.