ABSTRACT
Whereas Acehnese women combatants from the Dutch war (1873–1912) are celebrated in local and national historiographies, the involvement of female combatants in the twenty-first century remains largely ignored or minimised. Based on Dutch reports, historical literature, and interviews with former combatants, the study contributes to a demystification and a better understanding of female fighters in the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries Aceh. It considers the constructed historical imagery of the local female warrior, its circulation in publications and implication in the lack of recognition of women’s role in the conflict which ended in 2015, a description of which is given based on testimonials collected in three Acehnese regions.
