Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Nyak Meutia, are two Acehnese warriors who fought against the Dutch at the same time. They knew no fear. And they were not willing to negotiate with the invaders who they called kafir harbi.
he two magnolia blossoms were born in the same era. Although younger, Cut Nyak Meutia died first on the battlefield, deep in the jungle of Negeri Pasee. Meanwhile, Cut Nyak Dhien died in Sumedang, Tanah Pasundan. Cut Nyak was kept away from the country she loved so much. Both of them sacrificed everything for one thing: love!
Cut Nyak Meutia was born in Ulebalang Keureutoe, Pirak, in 1870. She was the daughter of Teuku Ben Daod Pirak-Cut Jah. She was the only girl among five siblings. As the youngest, Cut was certainly the darling of the family.
When Cut Nyak Meutia was born, the Aceh War had not yet begun. The war only began in 1873, after the Dutch received information that on March 1 of the same year a United States Navy squadron led by Admiral Thornton Alexander Jenkins, left for Aceh to assist the Sultanate of Aceh.
As a noble princess, Cut Nyak Meutia received a good education in the family environment. She was instilled with the values of love for the nation, for religion, and of course love for family. The fragrant magnolia was truly educated as a prospective mother and wife who would one day be a light for the family.
Thus, when her husband Teuku Muhammad or Teuku Tjhik Ditunong waged resistance against the Dutch, the cempaka participated. Helping her husband prepare logistics, organize tactics, and go in and out of the jungle, in order to defend the nation.
For Cut Nyak Meutia, being submissive to her husband who was struggling in the way of Allah, was a form of obedience to the divine God, as well as her devotion to the nation.
At a crossroads, Teuku Muhammad was captured by the Dutch and taken to Lhokseumawe. The incident occurred in March 1905. Cut Nyak was anxious, her soulmate had been captured. She always prayed while hoping for a miracle if her husband managed to escape. But fate cannot be resisted. Not long after being captured, Ampon Muhammad was executed on the shores of Lhokseumawe Beach, on the rippling shores of the Malacca Strait.
Upon hearing the news of her husband’s death, Cut Nyak felt like she had been struck by lightning. The man of her dreams, her best friend in joy and happiness, her companion in the struggle to defend the nation, had now died as a national hero.
Before his death, Ampon Muhammad had testified to his friend Pang Nanggroe. If one day he had to die at the hands of the Dutch, let the friend marry Cut Nyak Meutia, in order to maintain the woman’s morals, while taking care of their young son Teuku Raja Sabi.
Pang Nanggroe conveyed the will to Cut Nyak. She accepted the will with a full heart. They married and continued to fight against the invaders.
In a battle that occurred on September 26, 1910, Pang Nanggroe became martyr. Cut Meutia and other women fighters, had been asked to flee into the forest. The troops they faced were not ordinary soldiers, but the Marechausée corps who were notorious for their ferocity and expertise in close combat, and were well versed in anti-guerrilla tactics. At Paya Cicem, Pang Nanggroe died after all his efforts to defeat the Dutch elite soldiers.
The ability of the special forces can be said to be equivalent to the Rajawali Force, which is a mixture of Kostrad and Kopassus of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) in the implementation of military operations in Aceh in the 2000s.
Pang Nanggroe died on September 26, 1910, Cut Nyak Meutia died on October 24 of the same year. Her hiding place in the wilds of Pase-North Aceh-was discovered by enemy forces. Again, she was defeated against the highly trained Marechausée. She died at Alue Kurieng as a fragrant flower of the motherland. Cut Nyak closed her eyes at the age of 40.
Continued.
