English | Indonesia

Rhizomatic Archipelago “Live in” Notes in Kabupaten Aceh Besar, bordering Banda Aceh.

In world legend, there are at least five women who are known as skillful sailors, who are also experts in diplomacy and war strategy. For local residents, they are heroes. As for the other regions, they are scary figures and labeled as criminals, generally declared as pirates.

Keumalahayati (1550 – 1615, Kingdom of Aceh), was declared the first admiral in the world. But there are two names that controlled the seas before: Artemisia I of Caria (470s – 530s BC, Greece) and Sayyida al-Hurra (1485-1561, Morocco). And two afterward: Anne Dieu-Le-Veut (1661 – 1710, France) and Ching Shih (1775 – 1844, China). Maybe there are others, but haven’t hooked on my search.

That said, physical traces/relics/records of Keumala’s existence are not yet clear; it couldn’t be adequately declared as not a myth. Hopefully one day a “valid” material will be found. Someone also said that the story showed for the first time in a children’s fairy tale book made by a Dutchman.

Hmmm! In the meantime, I’m still on a hundred pages of homework that (want/ambition) can (hopefully) be read about.