Zhahama Clan

Overview

The Zhahama clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 60 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, an official compilation from the Qianlong reign. They originally resided in Nimacha. Niedu of the Plain Red Banner submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. His great-grandson, Fudang'a, served as a Langzhong (a minor official position). His great-great-grandson, Dalihu, served as a seventh-rank official, and Baishan also served as a Langzhong. His fourth-generation descendant, Along'a, served as an Yuanwailang (another minor official position), and Niyahan served as a Zhushi (a higher-ranking official position). His fifth-generation descendant, Nierjin, served as a Tongzhi (another higher-ranking official position).

Langzhong, Yuanwailang, and Zhushi were common civil service positions in ministries and other government departments, respectively involved in managing and assisting with related administrative and document work. Tongzhi were found in local prefectural-level official systems, and their specific duties depended on their post. The seventh-rank official position is only recorded in terms of rank; the original text does not specify Dalihu's exact title, so it cannot be written as a county magistrate or a specific seventh-rank position.

The information about this surname primarily shows the descendants' entry into the civil service administrative system; it cannot be changed to describe them as hereditary military officers simply because they were a Banner family. The descendants span from great-grandson to fifth-generation descendant, and are not part of Nie Du's personal list of concurrent positions, nor do they automatically form a complete paternal chain. The ancestral settlement of Nimacha, the department to which the Langzhong (a high-ranking official) belonged, the office of the Tongzhi (another high-ranking official), and the individual's term of office still need to be verified in the resume; the original genealogy does not provide specific information on the year of submission or hereditary titles.