HERstory: Southeast Asia

PATREON EXCLUSIVE. Extremely excited to share this bonus episode with you on the 4 queens of Aceh who ruled from 1641 to 1699, beginning with Sultanah Safiatuddin or Taj al-Alam Safiatuddin Syah. Unlike the four queens of Patani, this was not an unbroken lineage. 

EXCERPT:

Khan argues that maintaining peace and stability so commerce could thrive was an even bigger challenge than the ones faced by the male predecessors of the Acehnese queens. During the time of the queens, although the VOC might have controlled a larger share of the international trade in this region by the end of the century, Aceh’s regional trade continued to thrive and, as a trading port which served private traders from all over the world, Aceh’s international commercial networks continued to be resilient. By the end of the reigns of these women sovereigns, Malay writing and literature in Aceh had developed to a height unrivalled till today: this could be said to constitute the real golden age in Acehnese history. Sorry, Iskandar Muda. The book really goes into detail so I recommend reading it, the text is already up in our resource library under Episode 19.

PATREON EXCLUSIVE. This bonus episode is supplementary to the Episode 16, Filipino Girlhood in American Colonial Manila, 1908-1939, with Tala Wong. Best if you listen to that first (if you haven't).

Paz Marquez Benitez, born in 1894, was known for her athletic prowess, captaining Manila’s first girls’ basketball team, and playing tennis in European dress. In 1925, she published Dead Stars in the Philippine Herald, widely acknowledged to be the first modern English short story written by a Filipino, giving rise to a new generation of writers and writing that we still enjoy today.

The cover photo is the one accompanying an article entitled, “The Real Paz Marquez Benitez,” from the Philippine Free Press, Oct. 4, 1933.

PATREON EXCLUSIVE. This is a Patreon bonus episode on Suriyothai, a queen who fought and died during the Burmese–Siamese War of 1547 to 1549. We go into the royal family drama at the time because it is a doozy and a half. And war elephants. I have a ton of feelings about war elephants.

PATREON EXCLUSIVE. In the regular episode, we talked about Dyah Gitarja, the third monarch of the Majapahit Empire. The Majapahit Empire lasted from the 1200s until the late 15th or early 16th century. Around 1500, there was a Chinese-Muslim trader who rose to prominence in that part of the world. This is a bonus episode about Shi Daniang, better known as Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbourmaster of Gresik.

PATREON EXCLUSIVE. The Krom Klone were the all-female bodyguard of the King of Siam. They were established in 1688 and were a well-disciplined force, responsible for the security of the royal family and the maintenance of order within the palace grounds.

PATREON EXCLUSIVE. This is an interview with Haldi Patra, a history Master's student, writer, podcaster, and Orang Minang.

This is supplementary to episode 07, the Minangkabau Matrilineal Society. I would recommend listening to the episode first as we reference many of the terms I explained there like suku and pai merantau. This bonus episode is gonna be a lot more candid than the usual upload.

You'll get to hear what Haldi thinks of the myth about Alexander the Great and rendang, a classic Minang dish. Hope you like it!

This is Part 2 of Acehnese Women at War.

In Part 1 we talked about Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Nyak Meutia, two heroines with very similar elite backgrounds, both widowed twice, and fought the Dutch to their very last breath. Their legacy is preserved in both national and popular culture, something that has not been afforded to the majority of female palace guards, guerillas, and combatants who gave their lives for their country.

This month you will also be hearing from Teacher Mia who creates English language learning guides and coaching sessions over on Patreon.

Credits:

In this two-part episode, we’ll be talking about Acehnese Women at War. In part 1, we’ll discuss the “Named” women, Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Nyak Meutia, whose lives are fairly well-documented. Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Nyak Meutia were two noblewomen turned guerilla fighters who were widowed twice and defied the Dutch colonizers to the very end of their lives.

In part 2, we’ll talk about the less known Acehnese women warriors: Pocut Meurah Intan, Pocut Baren, Cut Nyak Meuligoe, Teungku Fakinah, and Teungku Fatimah, as well as the “Anonymous” women, palace guards, guerillas, and combatants, whose names have long been lost to history.

Like and share to support for free! $1 on Patreon and one-time donations through Ko-Fi.

Theme Music: Goddess of War by Unicorn Heads

Intro: Indonesian Cordana Youth Choir | Rampai Aceh 

Ad: History of Colonization Podcast

Second track: Cokelat - Bendera 

Episode 18 is about Osoet Pegua, an influential Thai businesswoman of Mon descent who acted as the business agent between the Ayutthaya Kingdom and the Netherlands in the mid-17th century.

This episode was made possible by the generosity of Dr. Dhiravat na Pombejra, former Associate Professor at Chulalongkorn University, who shared his 2011 lecture on Osoet Pegua.

This month's ad is the History of Colonisation podcast, hosted by Fidellithy.

Like and share to support for free. $1 on Patreon and one-time donations through Ko-Fi. 😊 

This episode is not about a particular historical figure, but about an embattled group of women known as the nyai, housekeepers, companions, and concubines in the former Dutch East Indies, or present-day Indonesia.

We’ll learn about them through several narratives, the most popular of which is Nyai Ontosoroh’s story from the 1980 novel, This Earth of Mankind. We’re going to start with a bit of background – how Indonesia was colonized and how the nyai came to be. Then we’ll end with the life stories of several nyai as immortalized in novels and newspapers of the time.

Click here for the trailer of the 2019 Indonesian film, Bumi Manusia.

The cover image is a hand-tinted photograph of a nyai by Jacobus Anthonie Meessen, c. 1867

As always thank you to our Patrons: Kheiro, Xiaomeiby by Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raul, Raymond, Chito, Matt, Shereen, Charlie, Chanda, Yati, Kara, and Mando.

This month's ad is Tuktuk Box. They are a specialty food retailer offering curated Southeast Asian boxes and products founded by two Southeast Asian American women who recognized the need to create a cross-cultural bridge to foster social change. They partner with vetted small business owners  and local farmers to share carefully crafted ingredients and recipes from their own community. If you're in the US, go check them out!

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For a copy of the show notes, a shout out at the end of the next episode, access to the resource library, regional current events updates, the occasional bonus episode, and your own Spotify scannable magnet of the podcast, join us on Patreon.