Harcha Clan

Overview

The Harcha clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 57 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, an official compilation of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. They were scattered throughout Nimacha and other areas. The Mashao clan of the Bordered Red Banner resided in Nimacha and submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty; their grandson, Liuge, served as a military officer. The Bula clan of the Plain Blue Banner resided in Hailan; the year of their submission is unknown. Their fourth-generation descendant, Yiqili, served as a cavalry officer, while Qiqili and Yahai served as military officers. The Mabu clan of the Bordered Blue Banner resided in Yehe; the year of their submission is unknown, but he and his son, Malantai, both served as scribes.

The information regarding the banner affiliation, ancestral home, and submission of these three branches differs. The phrase "scattered" in the genealogy indicates their distribution and does not connect the branches into a complete father-son genealogy. Liuge is a specific descendant's name and should not be read as six military officers; the fact that Mabu and his son held the same official position does not automatically constitute a hereditary position.

Military officers managed their subordinate military officers, while cavalry officers belonged to the basic military organization of the Eight Banners. A scribe was a clerk in the government office, called a bithesi in Manchu, involved in copying, translation, and document processing. The Mabu branch thus exhibits a different path in clerkship appointments compared to the other two branches. Specific government offices, terms of office, and kinship connections between branches still require archival research, and the modern village sites of Hailan and Nimacha cannot be identified solely based on shared names.