Of
course we have memorized that every November 10, the Indonesian nation
commemorates the day of heroes. The commemoration of the Battle of
Surabaya on November 10, 1945, is aimed at honoring the sacrifices of
heroes who have fought for independence. At the end of last month, I
accidentally read a post about a heroine from West Java that I never
knew before.
Reported
from various sources, I began to look for information about heroines
from West Java. It turns out that there are many extraordinary women who
make a positive contribution during the time of struggle or the time of
independence. Unlike Cut Nyak Dien, Admiral Malahayati, or Nyi Ageng
Serang, who plunged directly into battle, women also helped the struggle of
this country through his spirit to eradicate ignorance.
Adjacent
to National Teacher’s Day, which falls on November 25, let’s see who
these amazing women are! (For 'security', apologies can't include all
these amazing photos of women.)
Raden Dewi Sartika
Raden
Dewi Sartika has long been known as one of the heroines in the field of
education that originated from the land of Pasundan. Dewi Sartika was
born in Cicalengka, Bandung, on December 4, 1884, in a family of Sundanese
nobles.
After
the death of the father, Dewi Sartika and Mother returned to Bandung
and settled with the grandfather, R.A.A. Martanegara, who became the
Regent of Bandung. The grandfather and inspector of the teaching office,
Den Hamer, became the driver of Dewi Sartika to continue to develop the
school as he aspired to.
He
established the first school for the women of the Dutch East Indies in
the Bandung Regency pendopo in 1904, known as Sakola Istri (wife school).
This
school not only teaches reading and writing but also sewing, jewelry, and
religious lessons. Assisted by the husband, Raden Kanduran Agah
Suriawinata, who worked as a teacher until 1914, Sakola Istri has grown
into 9 schools. Sakola Istri had changed its name to Sekolah Kautamaan
Istri, and in September 1929, Sakola Istri changed to Raden Dewi School.
Died
on September 11, 1947, Menong's friends were able to visit the tomb of
Dewi Sartika in the area of Astana Anyar, not far from the city square
of Bandung. Dewi Sartika was called the National Movement Hero on
December 1, 1966.
Emma Poeradiredja
Nyi Raden Rachmat'ulhadilah Poeradiredja was born on August 13, 1902, in Kuningan, West Java. Emma Poeradiredja studied at Hollandch Inlandsce School (HIS), equivalent to elementary school; Meer Uitegebreid Lager Onderwijis (MULO), equivalent to junior high school; and SSVS Dientoxamont abroad, equivalent to Algemeene Middelbare School (AMS) or high school.
After graduation, he worked at Staatspoorwegen (S.S.) or PT KAI (currently). From his education and track record, I was honestly amazed at him as one of the heroines from West Java. And I remember Embah, a beloved grandmother who also aspired to school as high as she had just had time to get to MULO but was fluent in Dutch.
He
was active in various organizations such as Jong Java and became the
chairman of the Jong Islamieten Bond (JIB) Bandung branch in 1925. He also
participated in the First Youth Congress in 1926 and the Second Congress in 1928. In 1938, Emma became the only woman to be a
member of the Bandung City Council.
Pasoendan Istri,
or PASI, the organization of women's empowerment in the Dutch colonial
era, became one of the organizations spearheaded by Emma Soeradiradja. I
myself know PASI because, as a child, I used to often take Embah Sowan to
one of his offices in the area of Jl. Sapujagat, Bandung.
Until
the end of her life, Emma Poeradiredja still serves as a member of the
House of Representatives/MPR Election 1971. He died on April 16, 1976; he
was buried in Taman Makan Hero Cikutra Bandung.
Raden Siti Jenab
This
name feels familiar to my ears because I often see it on elementary
school signs when I work in Cianjur for the first time (there are 4 elementary
schools of Java in Cianjur). Raden Siti Jenab was born in Indramayu in
1830 to the nobles of the family of Patih Purwakarta, West Java, and
Priyayi Brebes, Central Java.
Siti
Jenab attended the Dewi Sartika School in Bandung and was mentored
directly by Dewi Sartika, the founder of the school. Back in Cianjur,
Siti Jenab was inspired to introduce the door-to-door education
system in Cianjur City. This effort received the attention of the
daughter of the Regent of Cianjur, RA Cicih Wiarsih, who gave a piece of
waqf land to be built into a school. Sakola School, founded by Sakola wife Dewi
Sartika and Kautamaan School, founded by Kautamaan wife Siti Ayu Lasminingrat, became the first
schools in Cianjur.
Now,
Siti Jenab Elementary School has been taken over by the government and
changed its name to the Mother Jenab School that Menong friends can
visit in downtown Cianjur.
Raden Ayu Lasminingrat
Soehara, better known as Raden Ayu Lasminingrat, is a women's education
fighter in the Garut area. She was born in 1843 as the daughter of Raden
Haji Muhammad Musa, a cleric, headmaster, and Sundanese writer.
She
became the only indigenous woman who was proficient in Dutch and wrote
to translate a book by Christoph von Schmid adapted into a book entitled
‘Carita Erman.’ In addition, Lasminingrat also published a book called
‘roepa-roepa fairy tales.’ Both works are known not only in Garut but
also outside Java and have become compulsory textbooks in the People's School
or Elementary School in West Java.
Married
to the Regent of Garut, Raden Duke Aria Wiratanudatar VII, Lasminingrat became more focused on education and supporting the Goddess
Sartika to develop Sakola Istri.
It
turns out that there are so many women who take part for the sake of
the progress of this nation. The title of the heroine from West Java is
accompanied by the fragrance of their contribution to us, the next
generation.
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