Niuhe Clan

Overview

The Niuhe clan is a Manchu surname listed in Volume 58 of the official genealogy of the Manchu clans of the Eight Banners, compiled during the Qianlong reign. Their ancestral home was in Folamardun and Neihe. Fugan, a bondservant of the Plain Yellow Banner, resided in Folamardun; his grandson Yatu served as a cavalry officer, and his great-grandson Hushitu served as a herdsman. Gunbulu, of the Plain Red Banner, resided in Neihe; he himself served as a ceremonial officer. Both branches submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the Qing dynasty.

A cavalry officer was a low-ranking military officer in the Eight Banners; a herdsman was involved in pastoral management; and a ceremonial officer was responsible for the rites and etiquette of the household. These three positions belonged to different individuals and work systems. A herdsman should not be interpreted as a modern ordinary herdsman's occupation, nor should the title of ceremonial officer be used to designate a specific princely household to which Gunbulu belonged.

Boatsership was a clearly recorded status of the Fugan branch, indicating a specific subordinate relationship. The Gunbulu entry does not provide a similar description; therefore, the status of the bondservant branch of the Plain Yellow Banner cannot be extended to the entire Niuhe surname. The ancestral place name, banner affiliation, and clan each provide different identifying information. Even though both branches submitted to the state at the beginning of the dynasty, it does not directly prove that the two branches migrated in the same year or originated from the same close ancestor. The scope of the compound place name "Faramartun," the specific inland river system or settlement, the herding institutions, and the lineages of the two branches still need to be verified by the original printed text and geographical data.