墳墓作為人一生中最終的旅程，由獨居的單穴到家族集合式的家塚，說明墳墓祖先崇拜墳制與祭掃方式的變遷。難能可貴的是，攤開客家族群的一頁顛沛流離的滄桑史，透過祖先崇拜觀念的深化，客家族群依然保存世系的完整。由代代設祭到合族共祭，美濃家塚的修築，藉由緬懷先祖以振宗合族，在祖輩的引領下，凝聚家族的向心力。家塚的興建，解決了葬地不足的問題，也省卻了在各墳場間來回奔波的艱辛，在合族共祀的祭掃中，家族成員多了時空的聚會。美濃家塚的興建，另方面也呈現出彰顯家族力量與親族間的競爭關係，由家塚的形制構式說明，隱含了各親族間財力的比較。觀察客家陽宅的伙房與陰居的家塚，墳墓已漸脫離給人陰森怖懼的刻板印象，家塚如同伙房兩者的構式如出一轍，家塚就像微塑的堂屋門庭，生死空間相連，人地息息相通，反映出後輩對先祖的感念之情。本研究在論述中，以文獻分析、質性研究的參與觀察、深度訪談等方式，實地田野訪查，以美濃「朱家墓園」為例，詳述美濃客家地區興築家塚的原因，探討朱家來臺墾拓史，朱家宗族衍分凝結的緣由；並經由文獻及實地訪談，探究朱家墓園家塚的形制及其文化意涵。本研究中以祖先崇拜中廳堂牌位崇拜及墳墓祖先崇拜為主軸，說明在小傳統中的宗教信仰中，儒家文化對常民信仰的內化，以及對人文的關懷。

A grave as the final journey of a person’s life, from a single grave for anindividual to a collective grave for a family, explains the changes in the customs ofancestor veneration and the ways of tomb sweeping and worshipping. What iscommendable is that when opening one page of the Hakka people’s history of thevicissitudes of life, through the deepening of the concept of ancestor veneration, theHakka people still preserve the integrity of the descent. From making offerings to theancestors generation after generation to collective worship by the entire clan, theconstruction of the family tombs in Meinong revives and unites the entire clan bymemorizing the ancestors. Under the guidance of the predecessors, the centripetalforce and cohesion of the family are formed. The construction of the family tombssolves the problem of the shortage of burial space, as well as eases the difficulties oftraveling back and forth among the various cemeteries. Besides, the family memberscan have more time and space to gather together when the entire clan venerates theirancestors and sweeps the tombs collectively. On the other hand, the construction ofthe family tombs in Meinong also presents the power of the family as well as thecompetitive relationships among the members of the same clan; the explanations ofthe construction types of the family tombs imply the comparison of financialcapability between various members of the same clan. The observations of the kitchens in Hakka residences (called yang-zhai) and the sites of the family tombs(called yin-ju) reveal that the grave has gradually got rid of the stereotypicalimpressions of gloom and horror it has left on people. The construction types of thefamily tombs are exactly the same as those of the kitchens. The family tombs are justlike the micro-models of the main room and its entrance where both life space anddeath space are connected and where people are closely linked to the land. Thus, theyreflect the descendants’ feelings of gratitude towards their ancestors.In its discussion, this research has included the on-site fieldwork, conducted withliterature analysis, as well as participant observations and in-depth interviews that aremethods of qualitative research. Take the “Zhu Family Cemetery” in Meinong as anexample – it describes the reasons for the construction of the family tombs in theMeinong Hakka area in details, discusses the history of the Zhu family’s moving toTaiwan and being engaged in cultivation, and states the reasons for the growth anddiversification of the Zhu family, as well as its solidarity. In addition, it explores theconstruction type of the family tomb of the Zhu family cemetery and its culturalimplications through literature review and on-site visits and interviews. This researchfocuses mainly on the veneration of ancestral tablets in the main hall and the graveworship for ancestor veneration to explain how Confucian culture has beeninternalized by the ordinary people in their beliefs, as well as the concern forhumanities manifested in Confucian culture, in the religious beliefs of the smalltradition.