Song Eto

Overview

Song Eto was a member of the Zhaojia clan, a bondservant of the Bordered White Banner. The official Qing dynasty compilation, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 31, under the section on Ermin, states that he was of the same clan as Jue Se, but the year of his submission is unknown. His sons, Suhechen and Xunbai, both served as cavalry commanders, and Haksa served as a sixth-rank official. The text first lists Benjina, then begins a separate entry with "Boatman Song Eto," therefore, the position held by his sons should be attributed to Song Eto, not the former.

Boatmen were a specific group within the Eight Banners with a specific affiliation. The Bordered White Banner indicates their banner affiliation; therefore, they cannot be directly written as personnel of the Upper Three Banners of the Imperial Household Department. A cavalry commander led the military affairs of their assigned cavalry, while an official managed the ceremonies related to princes' residences. The sixth rank was the official rank of official; these two positions were different in nature and cannot be equated with a sixth-rank cavalry commander.

Suhechen, Xunbai, and Haksa are information about his descendants, but Song Eto's specific official position was not automatically determined by these positions. The fact that the brothers both served as officers in the Imperial Guard does not necessarily mean that they managed the same position simultaneously. The identities of the bondservant's subordinate princes, the sixth-rank official's office, Ermin's territory, and the date of their submission are pending verification; the original family boundaries will be retained.