Cut Nyak Dhien (
VOSS
Voss () is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages inclu ...
: Tjoet Nja' Dhien; 1848–6 November 1908) was a leader of the
Acehnese guerrilla forces during the
Aceh War
The Aceh War (), also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1904), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between representatives of Aceh ...
. Following the death of her husband
Teuku Umar
Teuku Umar (1854 – 11 February 1899) was a leader of a guerrilla campaign against the Dutch in Aceh during the Aceh War. He died when Dutch troops launched a surprise attack in Meulaboh. His body was buried in the Mugo area. Afterward, his ...
, she led guerrilla actions against the Dutch for 25 years. She was
posthumously
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death
* Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
awarded the title of
National Hero of Indonesia
National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...
on 2 May 1964 by the Indonesian government.
Early life
Cut Nyak Dhien was born into a Muslim aristocratic family in
Aceh Besar
Great Aceh Regency () is a regency of the Indonesian province of Aceh. The regency covers an area of 2,903.49 square kilometres and had a population of 351,418 at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. 391,870 at the 2015 census an ...
in VI mukim district in 1848. Her father, Teuku Nanta Setia, was a member of the ruling Ulèë Balang aristocratic class in VI mukim, and her mother was also from an aristocrat family. She was educated in religion and household matters. She was renowned for her beauty, and many men proposed to her until her parents arranged for her marriage to Teuku Cek Ibrahim Lamnga, the son of an aristocratic family, when she was twelve.
Aceh War

On 26 March 1873, the Dutch declared war on Aceh, beginning the
Aceh War
The Aceh War (), also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1904), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between representatives of Aceh ...
. During the first part of this war, the
First Aceh Expedition, Aceh was led by Panglima Polem and Sultan
Alauddin Mahmud Syah II. The Dutch army sent 3,000 soldiers led by
Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler Johan may refer to:
* Johan (given name)
* ''Johan'' (1921 film), a Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller
* Johan (2005 film), a Dutch romantic comedy film
* Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group
** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group
* Joh ...
to take the Sultan's palace. The Sultan received military aid from the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and the Aceh army was rapidly modernized and enlarged from 10,000 to 100,000 soldiers. Dutch forces were successfully pushed back, and Köhler died in action.
In November 1873, during the
Second Aceh Expedition the Dutch successfully captured VI mukim in 1873, followed by the Sultan's Palace in 1874. In 1875, Cut Nyak Dhien and her baby, along with other mothers, were evacuated to a safer location while her husband Ibrahim Lamnga fought to reclaim VI mukim.
Teuku Ibrahim Lamnga died in action in Gle Tarum on 29 June 1878. Upon hearing this, Cut Nyak Dhien swore revenge against the Dutch.
Some time after the death of her husband, an Acehnese hero
Teuku Umar
Teuku Umar (1854 – 11 February 1899) was a leader of a guerrilla campaign against the Dutch in Aceh during the Aceh War. He died when Dutch troops launched a surprise attack in Meulaboh. His body was buried in the Mugo area. Afterward, his ...
proposed to her. Although she rejected him at first, she accepted his proposal when Umar allowed her to fight, and they were married in 1880. This greatly boosted the morale of Aceh armies in their fight against the ''Kaphé Blanda,'' or Dutch infidel. Teuku Umar and Cut Nyak Dhien had a daughter together named Cut Gambang. Dhien was very determined to stay in the war so took her daughter in with her.
The war continued, and the Acehnese declared a holy war against the Dutch, engaging in guerrilla warfare and attacking with traps and ambushes. Undersupplied, Teuku Umar surrendered to Dutch forces on 30 September 1893 along with 250 of his men. The Dutch army welcomed him and appointed him as a commander, giving him the title of ''Teuku Umar Johan Pahlawan'', though he secretly planned to betray them. Two years later Teuku Umar set out to assault Aceh, but instead departed with his troops, heavy equipment, weapons, and ammunition, using these supplies to help the Acehnese. This is recorded in Dutch history as "Het verraad van Teukoe Oemar" (the treason of Teuku Umar).
Teuku Umar and Dhien kept resisting the Dutch with their new equipment until the Dutch sent the Maréchaussée. The Acehnese found these troops extremely difficult to resist and many people were killed.
The Dutch general
Johannes Benedictus van Heutsz took advantage of the condition and sent a spy to Aceh. Teuku Umar was killed during battle when the Dutch launched a surprise attack on him in Meulaboh. When Cut Gambang cried over his death, Cut Nyak Dhien reportedly slapped her and then she hugged her and said: "As Acehnese women, we may not shed tears for those who have been martyred."
After her husband died, Cut Nyak Dhien continued to resist the Dutch with her small army until its destruction in 1901, as the Dutch adapted their tactics to the situation in Aceh. Furthermore, Cut Nyak Dhien suffered from nearsightedness and arthritis as she got older. The number of her troops kept decreasing and they suffered from a lack of supplies.
One of her men, Pang Laot, told the Dutch the location of her headquarters in Beutong Le Sageu. The Dutch assaulted, catching Dhien and her troops by surprise. Despite desperately fighting back, Dhien was captured, but her daughter Cut Gambang escaped and continued the resistance.
Later life
Dhien was brought to
Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh (; , Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of 35 metres. The city covers an area of and had a population of 223,446 peopl ...
and her myopia and arthritis slowly healed. She was sent into exile to
Sumedang
Sumedang (former spelling: Soemedang) is a town in Western Java, Indonesia, approximately 46 km northeast of Bandung. It is the capital of Sumedang Regency. The town is just south of the volcanic Mount Tampomas, which is 1,684 m (5,52 ...
,
West Java
West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...
because the Dutch were afraid she would mobilize the resistance of Aceh people. During her exile in Sumedang, she lived in a prominent cleric's house, Sanusi, where she taught the Quran to the women who lived nearby. She was known as a person who memorised the whole quran,
hafizah that caused her to earn a nickname ''Ibu Perbu'', ''Ibu Suci'' (Holy Mother), ''Ibu Ratu'' (Queen Mother). Since she refused to accept any assistances from the colonial government, the Regent of Sumedang, covered her necessities.
Legacy
On 2 May 1964 Dhien was posthumously proclaimed a National Hero by President
Sukarno
Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...
.
The film ''
Tjoet Nja' Dhien
''Tjoet Nja' Dhien'' (pronounced ) is a 1988 Indonesian film directed by Eros Djarot and starring Piet Burnama, Christine Hakim, Rudy Wowor, and Slamet Rahardjo. Based on the life's story of female Acehnese people, Acehnese guerrilla leader Cut N ...
'' written and directed by
Eros Djarot
Erros Djarot (born 22 July 1950) is an Indonesian songwriter, Film director, director and politician of Bantenese people, Bantenese descent. Beginning his music career with the soundtrack of ''Kawin Lari'' in 1976, Djarot became famous with the su ...
was screened at th
Selection de la Semaine de la Critiquein Cannes, 1989.
Gender, Islam, Nationalism and the State in Aceh @ books.google.com
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The Cut Nyak Dhien Airport in Nagan Raya Regency
Nagan Raya Regency () is a regency in the Aceh special region of Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra, and was formed on 10 April 2002 from districts formerly part of West Aceh Regency. The seat of the regency government is at Suka ...
, Aceh
Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
is named after her.
KRI ''Cut Nyak Dien'', an Indonesian Navy
The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...
corvette is named after her.
Bibliography
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhien. Cut Nyak
1840s births
1908 deaths
Acehnese people
Indonesian Muslims
National Heroes of Indonesia
Women in 19th-century warfare
Aceh War