古老的契字文書，是先民處理種種物權和債權的記錄，為歷史過程中的有機產物，也是反映民間社會生活的重要文獻；無論是開墾、買賣、租佃、典貸或在家產分配時，都需依據土地契約作為最基本的證據。透過契約文書的解讀，我們可以從不同的角度，暸解先民來台開墾的過程、家族的成長以及土著族群為何喪失土地產權等類的歷史問題。 本研究採用「深度訪談法」與「實地調查法」進行研究，主要調查訪談對象包括：中央研究院台灣史研究所、中央研究院民族學研究所、宜蘭縣史館、國史館台灣文獻館、國立中央圖書館台灣分館、國立臺灣大學圖書館、國立故宮博物院、國家圖書館等，共八所機構。 本研究將以實地調查之方式，至古地契之典藏單位蒐集資料；瞭解各單位典藏古地契之特色、重點。深入訪談以古地契典藏單位中的實務工作者為對象，透過訪談進一步瞭解各單位之古地契資源管理現況為何，以及其相關推廣活動與相關建議。 據研究發現，提出結論如下：一、各典藏機構所藏古地契之特色不明顯，主題容易有重疊的現象；二、各典藏機構古地契徵集方式以捐贈、購買為主；三、各典藏機構所持分類方式不盡相同；四、古地契目錄建置現況以線上目錄較為普遍；五、古地契編目欄位視各館需求而異；六、古地契推廣應用主要有三種模式，即（一）策劃展覽活動；（二）印製刊物發行；（三）舉辦相關研討會，整理相關建議後另提出將古地契檔案融入史學教育之中，或進一步作數位化整合與加值。 針對前述研究結果提出建議：一、促請各典藏機構制訂館藏發展政策；二、建置理想之古地契分類模式；三、建立全國性古地契目錄檢索機制；四、推廣利用古地契檔案，使其使用與重視大幅提昇；五、建立古地契檔案之共享與合作機制，使古地契達到有效整理、確實運用的境界。 【關鍵詞】 古地契 檔案 契據文書 契約 / The ancient land deeds are organic documents that resulted from the historical course. They record how the ancient people dealt with all sorts of property and creditor's right, and they reflect the people's social life, too. When the people cultivated their land, bought or sold things, rented out objects, and divided their family properties, they needed these ancient land deeds as the most important evidences. Through the understanding of the ancient land deeds, we can use different perspectives to know how the ancient people cultivated Taiwan, how the families developed, and why the aborigines lost the property rights of their land. Our research adopts the in-depth interview and the investigation methods. The main selected cases include: 1. Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica; 2. Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica; 3. Institute of Yilan County History; 4. Taiwan Historica; 5. National Central Library Taiwan Branch; 6. National Taiwan University Library; 7. National Palace Museum; 8. National Central library. At first, our research uses the investigation method to collect the information from these eight organizations to understand the characteristics and features of the ancient land deeds placed in these organizations. Then, our research used the in-depth interview method to inquire archivists who arrange ancient land deeds about how they manage these ancient land deeds and what their viewpoints and suggestions are for promoting these ancient land deeds. According to our findings, the conclusions are: 1. there are overlaps of the features of the ancient land deeds among these eight organizations; 2. Most of these organizations collect ancient land deeds mainly by donations and purchases; 3. the classification methods are different among these organization; 4. the on-line catalogization of the ancient land deeds is more popular; 5. the catalog items vary from different demands of these organization; 6.The main approaches to promote the ancient land deeds are: (1)exhibitions; (2)publications; (3)relevant seminarsthat purpose toarrange relevant proposals and bring up some ideas, including: (1) applying the ancient land deeds to the history studies; (2) digitalizing the deeds integrally to add value. Finally, based on the results of our research, several suggestions are made: 1. establishing the collection development policy; 2. setting up an ideal model of classification in ancient land deeds; 3. Building the retrieval mechanism of the catalog of the ancient land deeds; 4. promoting the use of the ancient land deeds to increase the use and arouse the attention for these files; 5. setting up the sharing and cooperation of the ancient land deeds to make the utilization and management of ancient land deeds more effective.

La question relative à la propriété de la terre, de son usage et de son transfert entre les Indiens du sud de la Nouvelle Angleterre et les colons puritains venus s’installer parmi eux a non seulement été le sujet d’un bon nombre d’études et a toujours été un sujet de forte controverse. Cependant rares sont les études qui ont tenté de remettre en question ou de revoir la thèse qui décrète que les Indiens ont été dépossédés de leur terre par les colons anglais. C’est pourquoi il nous a paru intéressant d’aller au-delà de cette perspective traditionnelle de dépossession. Dans ce sens, l’objet de cette thèse est de démontrer que ce transfert de terre pourrait être considéré comme une transaction foncière réglementaire donnant suite à un échange équitable entre deux parties mutuellement consentantes. Nous visons à présenter une image différente de l’Indien de celle de la victime de la colonisation puritaine qui le présente comme un Indien passif, soumis et à qui on inflige une condition.Pour ce faire, nous nous baserons sur l’analyse des actes de vente de terres intervenus entre les tribus indiennes du sud de la Nouvelle Angleterre et les colons anglais, et ce dans la période comprise entre 1620 et 1676. Notre analyse de ces documents se fera selon une perspective ethno-historique. / The question of land property, use and transfer between the Indians of southern New England and the Puritans who settled among them has been the subject of a large literature and has always been a highly controversial issue. Giving the fact that this issue has always been referred to as a dispossession, we thought it interesting to go beyond this traditional perspective. Indeed, we propose to show that this movement of land transfer can be considered as a legal and just land transaction and that it was equitable to both parties. We also aim at presenting another image of the Indian; an image different from the one depicting him as a submitted Indian and a victim of colonial invasion and cultural assault. Our study is based on an ethnohistorical analysis of the land deeds that took place between the Indians and the English colonists in southern New England between 1620 and 1676.