Cut Nyak Dhien, National Hero of Indonesia
Image: Adinkra symbol for hope, providence and faith.
Cut Nyak Dhien (1848-1908) was a guerrilla leader from Aceh (Indonesia) who fought against the Dutch for 25 years. She was born into an Islamic aristocratic family in Aceh Besar in 1848 in the VI mukim district and grew up in an uncolonised area.
During the Second Aceh Expedition in 1878 the Dutch invaded VI Mukim and the Sultan's Palace. Reportedly Cut Nyak Dhien and others were evacuated to a safer location. Meanwhile her husband Teuku Ibrahim Lamnga fought to reclaim VI Mukim, dying in action. Upon hearing this, Dhien swore revenge against the Dutch.
In 1880, Cut Nyak Dhien married Acehnese hero Teuku Umar, who allowed her to continue fighting. The Acehnese declared a Holy War, using traps and ambushes to attack the Dutch. Undersupplied, Teuku Umar and 250 of his men surrendered to the Dutch in 1893. However, this was a decoy, known in Dutch history as ‘Het verraad van Teukoe Oemar’ (the treason of Teuku Umar). In 1895, he took his troops, equipment, weapons and ammunition to support and supply the Acehnese.
Teuku Umar and Cut Nyak Dhien continued the battle with their new equipment until the Dutch sent the Marechaussée. In a surprise attack Teuku Umar was killed. Reportedly, Dhien had said that Achenese should not weep for those who had become martyrs. Dhien continued to resist with her small army until its destruction in 1901. Caught by surprise, Dhien was captured, while her daughter Cut Gambang escaped and continued the resistance.
Dhien was exiled to Sumedang, West Java, because the Dutch feared she would mobilise the resistance in Aceh. In 1964 she was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Indonesia by the Indonesian government.
