民間書寫的社群反映：清代臺中地區漢族與平埔族群經濟地位之更迭－以古文書契為研究場域

清領臺後，漢人移民之農業生活模式對土地的需求，使平埔族群改變原有的土地利用模式，將所屬土地讓出進行農業活動，與漢人建立番產漢佃的生產交換關係。在番產漢佃的生產模式中，平埔社群因擁有地權而能坐享其成收取地租，成為臺灣社會中漢佃稱為「番頭家」的優勢族群，但也因此被納入漢人貨幣經濟體系中，成為仰賴租穀的生活型態。平漢族群由土地農業化所產生的租佃關係與所衍生的借貸關係來看，平埔族各社之經濟狀況每況愈下，漢人佃戶經濟佳者反成番頭家所需仰賴的銀主。原住民業主長期出典番產，由銀主管收抵利形同賣斷。官方基於保護番產而限制銀主對番社借款之利率，如此番社借款利率雖然降低，但番產出典銀主管收之年限卻延長，形成變相的番產外流，在番社整體經濟日益衰敗的潮流下，番社借款與番產外流成為番社經濟貧困化下無解的惡性循環，作為民間書寫的契約文書，真實的反映了這種番漢社群經濟地位更迭倒轉的情況。本文擬以已存世的古文書契作為研究探討素材，古文書契包含清代臺灣官方給民間的公文與民間的古契約，因契約涉及人的權益，故其所顯示之記錄真實性高，如能採得某地某一時期土地相關的古文書契，即能對某地當時的土地拓殖狀況有所瞭解，甚者能窺知漢人新移民與地區平埔族群之間的關係以及新移民如何建立漢人社會的歷程。

關鍵字

古文書契；番產漢佃；番社借款；番產外流

並列摘要

The Chinese immigrants that arrived in Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty had hoped that the local Pingpu, an aboriginal tribe would give up, what they perceived, as ancient agricultural methods. In fact, to gain advantages in agriculture they entered into landlord-tenant agreements with the local Pingpu, whereby they would pay them a sum of money as rental for the land. The high economic status of the Chinese meant, however, that the Pingpu, who were of a lower economic status, would depend on them for survival as they would continue to need them to rent. Greater bargain power would therefore be in the hands of the Chinese. To remedy this situation, the government tried to regulate the interest rate, but this approach did not help unfortunately. This paper aims to elucidate the unequal economic status between the Chinese and Pingpu and how this affected their landlord-tenant relationship.