Sabitu

Overview

Sabitu is a member of the Xitala clan recorded in Volume 43 of the Qing Dynasty's official genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner and was the son of Angguo Duli Bayan. His father's entry lists him as belonging to the Plain White Banner, while Sabitu's entry lists him as belonging to the Bordered Yellow Banner; therefore, father and son could not be listed in the same banner solely based on blood relations. The Eight Banners not only organized military forces but also managed their populations; different branches within a clan could be listed under different banners.

The main military achievement in this entry belongs to Yindahun, Sabitu's seventh-generation descendant. Yindahun served as a vanguard officer in campaigns in Yunnan and other places, and was awarded the title of Yunqiwei for his merits. He later died in battle at Yanshanling in Huguang and was posthumously awarded the title of Qiduwei. This hereditary title was first inherited by his son, Wohe, and after Wohe's death, it was inherited by his son, Changzai. A vanguard officer was a junior officer in the vanguard battalion, responsible for unit management and accompanying the army at the front; Qiduwei and Yunqiwei were hereditary titles and should not be considered the same appointment as vanguard officer.

The genealogy also records that Sabitu's seventh-generation descendant, Wahan, served as an imperial censor, Chongtu served as a seventh-rank official, Yasiha, a ninth-generation descendant, served as a second-class imperial bodyguard and then as a platoon leader, and Haizhu served as a defense officer. The imperial censor was a supervisory official, and the imperial bodyguards were responsible for guarding the imperial palace, reflecting that members of this branch of the clan entered the civil and military official systems. Sabitu's own official position, the date of his submission, and the process of the changes in the banner affiliation between his father and son remain to be verified and cannot be supplemented by his descendants' resumes.