Cut Nyak Dhien or Tjoet Nja' Dhien (1848, Lampadang November 6, 1908, Sumedang)[1] was a leader

of the Acehnese guerrilla forces during the Aceh War. Following the death of her husband Teuku Umar,
she led guerrilla actions against the Dutch for 25 years. She was posthumously awarded the title
of National Hero of Indonesia on May 2, 1964 by the Indonesian government.[2]
Cut Nyak Dhien was born into an Islamic aristocratic family in Aceh Besar in VI mukim district in 1848. Her
father, Teuku Nanta Setia, was a member of the ruling Ul 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.

Cut Nyak Dhien after being captured by Dutch East Indies officials

On 26 March 1873, the Dutch declared war on Aceh, beginning the Aceh War. 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 Khler to take the Sultan's palace. The
Sultan, however, received military aid from Italy and the United Kingdom, and the Aceh army was rapidly
modernized and enlarged from 10,000 to 100,000 soldiers. Dutch forces were successfully pushed back,
and Khler 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 June 29, 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 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 Kaph 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 that 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 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, 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
Marchausse. 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 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 assaulted, catching Dhien and her troops by surprise. Despite desperately fighting back, Dhien was
captured, although 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. In May 2, 1964 she was posthumously proclaimed a National Hero by President Soekarno.
Teuku Umar (Meulaboh, West Aceh, 1854 February 11, 1899) was a leader of a guerrilla
campaign against the Dutch in Aceh during the Aceh War. He fell when Dutch troops launched a surprise
attack in Meulaboh. His body was buried in the Mugo area. After Teuku Umar's death, his wife Cut Nyak
Dhien continued to lead the guerrillas against the Dutch. He was later made a Pahlawan Nasional
Indonesia (National Hero of Indonesia).

Teuku Umar's tomb in Mugo Rayek, Panton Reu, West Aceh Regency

Umar joined the guerrilla forces in 1873 at the age of 19. At first, he fought in Meulaboh; he later
expanded his operations to different parts of West Aceh.[1]
At the age of 20, Umar married Nyak Sofia; not long after, he took Nyak Malighai as his second wife. In
1880, Umar married his cousin Cut Nyak Dhien; Dhien later joined him in the guerrilla campaign. [1]
In 1883, the Dutch colonial government signed a peace treaty with the Acehnese guerrillas. That same
year Umar joined them as an undercover operative over Dhien's complaints, working his way up through
the colonial military's ranks. After war broke out again in 1884, Umar worked to stop the Acehnese
people's struggle. For his service, on January 1, 1894 Umar was given the title Johan Pahlawan and
control of a legion of 250 fully armed soldiers. Eventually, Umar was given control of 120 more troops as
well as 17 lieutenants.[1]
On March 30, 1896, Umar and his troops deserted, taking including 800 weapons, 25,000 bullets, 500
kilograms (1,100 lb) of ammunition, and 18,000 dollars. Together with 400 soldiers under the command of
Teuku Panglima Polem Muhammad Daud, Umar attacked the Dutch forces, killing 25 and injuring 190. [1]
In retaliation, the Dutch governor sent soldiers en masse to capture or kill Umar. Umar was killed in
an ambush on February 10, 1899 in Meulaboh.[1]
In the 1930s, Sukarno described Teuku Umar as being one of the pahlawan tiga-sekawan (three heroic
friends) along with Diponegoro and Imam Bonjol.[2]
Teuku has been officially designated as national hero of Indonesia. There are many streets named after
him throughout Indonesia, including a main thoroughfare in the well-known suburb of Menteng in Jakarta,
as well as a field in Meulaboh.[1]