Aceh War Is Peeled From HC Zentgraaff Books

Aceh War Heroic known as Prang Atjeh is not a fairy tale. Although few Acehnese are willing to write it down as a historical record, the story of Aceh war is recorded by the world as one of the most famous wars in the history of the archipelago.

As Hasan Tiro stated in his little book Atjeh bak Donya's Eyes (1968), long before the Dutch colonized Indonesia, Aceh had first faced the Portuguese. The war against the Portuguese lasted for 14 times and Aceh always won. Finally, March 26, 1873, the Dutch turn declared war on Aceh, whereas the previous relationship with the Dutch Aceh well. Prang Atjeh's edition by the Dutch becomes a historical record that continues to be repeated by many researchers, both domestic and foreign researchers. It is possible that the heroic war of Aceh-the Netherlands became a separate record for Dutch writers and researchers.

HC Zentgraaff, a Dutch writer records the Aceh war as one of the greatest wars. It was quoted in a book titled Atjeh which has been translated into Indonesian with the same title. A necessity that Zentgraaff the kaphé Beulanda much praised the hero of Aceh in his book. According to him Aceh is an area that is not easily conquered. "Although planted bombs on every strand of grass leaves in Aceh, Aceh would not surrender," wrote Zentgraaff.

He also described the loyalty of Acehnese women who had been abandoned by husbands during the war. Zentgraaff's admiration for Acehnese women is cited on page 83: almost all Acehnese women have signs of their deceased husband, in a pale yellow letter still visible with tears of blood.

According to Zentgraaf, the love and loyalty of the srikandi of Aceh when the war is like a memory that is not wet on the rain and not cracked by heat. Acehnese women always keep their husbands' letters in places where people keep valuables or weapons. The letter they consider the amulet as an encouragement against the Dutch.