森美蘭華人甲必丹譜系之補遺：馬來西亞國家檔案文獻的考証與發現

A Supplementary Note on a Genealogy of the Chinese Kapitans of Negeri Sembilan: Verification and Discoveries from National Archives of Malaysia

馬來半島的甲必丹制度（Kapitan System）肇始於十六世紀葡萄牙在此地的統治時期，隨後為荷蘭、英國殖民者以及馬來土邦統治者相繼繼承並加以沿用，逐漸發展為當地政治與社會結構中不可或缺的一環。森美蘭華人甲必丹的歷史則可追溯至十九世紀五十年代，據史料顯示，首任華人甲必丹由盛明利擔任。然而，目前對於森美蘭華人甲必丹的研究尚不完備，多僅限於個案探討，且由於現存史料殘缺零散，尚乏新發現的文獻加以佐證，其譜系仍有諸多疑點亟待釐清：其一，森美蘭何時開始推行華人甲必丹制度；其二，森美蘭共有多少位華人甲必丹；其三，森美蘭的華人甲必丹制度於何時終止。為了彌補現有研究的不足，本文將運用在馬來西亞國家檔案館新發掘的珍貴檔案文獻進行考證，從而更完整地梳理森美蘭華人甲必丹的傳承脈絡，並豐富有關甲必丹制度研究的整體視角。

The Kapitan System on the Malay Peninsula originated during the Portuguese colonial period in the 16th century and was subsequently adopted and continued by the Dutch, the British, and local Malay rulers, gradually developing into an indispensable part of the region’s political and social structure. The history of Chinese Kapitans in Negeri Sembilan can be traced back to the 1850s, with records identifying Sheng Ming Li as the first Chinese Kapitan. However, research on Chinese Kapitans in Negeri Sembilan remains incomplete; existing studies are mostly limited to individual cases, and due to fragmentary archival materials and the absence of newly discovered sources, several key questions remain unresolved: (1) when the Chinese Kapitan system was officially introduced in Negeri Sembilan; (2) how many Chinese Kapitan were appointed; and (3) when this system was ultimately terminated. To bridge these gaps, this paper utilizes newly uncovered archival records from the National Archives of Malaysia to conduct a thorough examination of the lineage of Chinese Kapitans in Negeri Sembilan, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding of their succession and enhancing broader research perspectives on the Kapitan System.