Teungku Chik di Tiro | |
|---|---|
 Drawing of Teungku Chik di Tiro | |
| Born | Muhammad Saman 1836 |
| Died | 21 January 1891(1891-01-21) (aged 54–55) |
| Cause of death | Consumption of poisoned food |
| Resting place | Meureu,Aceh Besar |
| Occupations | Religious teacher, guerrilla fighter |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Hasan di Tiro(Great grandson) |
Muhammad Saman (1836 – 21 January 1891), better known asTeungku Chik di Tiro (usually speltCik di Tiro in Indonesia), was anAcehnese guerrilla fighter against the Dutch. On 6 November 1973, he was declared aNational Hero of Indonesia.
Di Tiro was born to Tengku Syekh Abdullah and Siti Aisyah inTiro, Pedir,Aceh Sultanate, in 1836.[1] Until the age of 15, he studied with his father; he then began studying with his uncle, Teungku Chik Dayah Cut di Tiro.[2] After studying under several more teachers, he moved toAceh Besar and spent two years there.[2] During the day he studied Islam and at night he joined his friends in the struggle against theDutch colonialists.[3] He was eventually called home to Tiro, where he began teaching with his uncle.[2][3]
After several years as a teacher, di Tiro went on thehajj toMecca.[2] There, he met several Islamic leaders and other revolutionaries fromSumatra,Java, andBorneo; through discussions on imperialism and colonialism, di Tiro became more interested in fighting against the Dutch.[2]
One day in 1880, after di Tiro returned to Tiro, a group of guerrilla fighters came through, looking for anulama (religious leader) to lead the fight.[4] Di Tiro volunteered and joined the guerrillas in their base in Mount Miram.[4] He then traveled throughout Aceh.[5] Every time he stopped in a town, he would deliver lectures at amosque about holy war and how it was their duty to fight againstunbelievers.[5] At the same time, he sent letters to other ulama to call them to war, determined to have the Dutch driven out of Aceh by 1883.[5][6]
Soon di Tiro and the ulama had gathered 6,000 soldiers to fight against the Dutch,[5] as well as the support of theSultan of Aceh.[7] The Dutch, although aware of the impending rebellion, remained unaware of di Tiro's identity.[5] Soon his troops cut communications between Dutch fortresses and established their own base in Mureu.[5] Previous struggles in the 1870s had led the Dutch to double their numbers in Aceh.[7]
In May 1881, di Tiro and his troops captured the Dutch fortress in Indrapuri, sparking theAceh War.[7] This was followed by the ones in Krueng Jreu and Gle Kameng.[7] In response, the Dutch reinforced their fortresses in Lambaro, Aneuk Galong, and Samahani.[5] Through 1882 and 1883, the two sides continued to fight, with the Acehnese gaining ground and taking over the island of Breuh.[5][7] In early 1883, di Tiro's forces attacked the Dutch stronghold inKutaraja (now Banda Aceh); despite failing to take the fort, they succeeded in killing the Dutchcontrouler.[8] At the peak of the war, the Dutch controlled only 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi) of land; before the war, they had controlled nearly all of Aceh.[9]
In April 1884, the sultan was told that di Tiro was now leader of the people.[6] In response, the sultan made a proclamation that he was still sultan; in August di Tiro himself declared that he had no intentions to be sultan.[10]
By 1885, di Tiro felt that the Dutch were ready to capitulate.[8] As such, he sent an ultimatum to Assistant Resident Van Langen, offering peace if the Dutch would convert to Islam.[8] Although some Dutchmen came claiming that they were willing to convert, they were later discovered to be spies.[11] In 1888 di Tiro sent another letter; this one also received no response from the Dutch leadership.[8] He then led more expeditions against Dutch forces, despite still being unable to enter Kutaraja.[8]
For several more years di Tiro led his troops against the Dutch;[8] the attempts to spy on him led him to declare that he would not rest until all the Dutch were killed.[11] On 21 January 1891, di Tiro was served poisoned food by the son of the leader of Sagi, whom the Dutch had offered a leadership position if he would kill di Tiro; despite being taken to Aneuk Galong fortress to be treated, di Tiro soon died.[12] He was later buried at the family graveyard in Meureu, Aceh Besar.[13] His struggle was continued by other Acehnese figures, includingTeuku Umar,Cut Nyak Dhien, andCut Nyak Meutia, as well as his family.[7][14]
On 6 November 1973, PresidentSuharto declared di Tiro aNational Hero of Indonesia through Presidential Decree number 087/TK of 1973.[7][15] He has numerous streets named after him, including one of the main streets in the well-known suburb ofMenteng inJakarta.[9]
Di Tiro had five sons: Teungku Mat Amin, Teungku Mahidin, Teungku di Tungkob, Teungku di Buket, and Teungku Lambada.[2] Through them he was the great-grandfather ofFree Aceh Movement founderHasan di Tiro.[13]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
