Sejarah Indonesia

Biografi Cut Nyak Dhien

By: Dwi Gita Anggraeni, and Didi Sopyan Sutardi.

      Rekayasa Perangkat Lunak.

      SMKN 1 SUBANG

      Dinas pendidikan provinsi Jawa Barat.

 Cut Nyak Dhien who earned the nickname Srikandi Indonesia was a leader of Acehnese guerrillia forces during the Aceh War. She was born in Lampadang in 1848. Following the death of her husbands Teuku Umar, she led guerrillia actions againts the Dutch for 25 years. She was awarded the title of national Hero on May 2, 1964 by the Indonesian governtment.

 Cut Nyak Dhien was born into islamic aristrocratic family in Aceh Besar. Her father, Teuku Nanta Setia, was a member of the ruling Ulee Balang aristocratic class in VI mukmim, and her mother was also from an aristocratic family. She was aducated in religion and household matters. She was renowned for her beauty, and many man proposed to marry her. Finally, she married Teuku Cek Ibrahim Lamnga, thr son of aristocratic family, when she was twelve.

 On 26 March 1873, Dutch declared war on Aceh, in november 1873, During the second Aceh Expedition, the dutch successfully captured VI mukmim in 1873, followed by the sultan's place 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. Lamnga died in action on June 29, 1878. Hearing this, Cut Nyak Dhien was enraged and swore to destroy the Dutch.

 Some time later, Teuku Umar proposed to marry her. learning that teuku umar would allow her to fight, they were married in 1880. This greatly boosted the morale of Aceh armies in their fight against Dutch. Teuku Umar and Cut Nyak Dhien had a daughter Cut Gambang.

The war continued, and the Acehnese declared Holy War against the Dutch, and  were engaging in guerrilla warfare. Undersupplied, Teuku Umar surrendered to Dutch forces on September 30, 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. However, Teuku Umar secretly planned to betray the Dutch. Two years later Teuku Umar set out to assault Aceh, but instead departed with his troops, talking with them 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).

The Dutch general Johannes Benedictus van Heutsz 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 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 numbers of her troops was also keep decreasing and they suffered from lack of supplies.

 One of her troops, Pang Laot, told the Dutch the location of her headquarters in Beutong Le Sageu. The Dutch attacked, catching Dhien and her troops by surprise. Despite desperately fighting back, Dhien was captured, her daughter, Cut Gambang escaped and continued the resistance. Dhien was brought to Banda Aceh and her myopia and arthritis slowly healed, but in the end she was exiled to Sumedang, West Java because the Dutch were afraid she would mobilize the resistance of Aceh people. she died on 6 november 1908.

 

The rupiah currency with a value of Rp.10,000.00 issued in 1998 contained a picture of Cut Nyak Dhien with a description of Tjoet Njak Dhien. His name is also immortalized in various cities in Indonesia as a street name.

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Dwi Gita Anggraeni is a student majoring in software engineering 2, and Didi Sopyan Sutardi is an Indonesian History teacher at SMKN 1 SUBANG.