Acehnese people
Encyclopedia
The Acehnese are a people in Aceh
, Indonesia
. Their homeland is located in the northern-most tip of the island of Sumatra
and had a history of political struggle against the Dutch
. Their language, the Acehnese
, belongs to the Aceh–Chamic groups of Malayo-Polynesian
branch of the Austronesian
language family.
They were at one time Hindu
ized, as is evident from their traditions and the many Sanskrit
words in their language. They have been Muslims for several centuries and are generally considered the most conservative Muslim ethnic group in Indonesia.
Traditionally, there have been a large number of Acehnese agriculturists, metal-workers and weavers. Traditionally matrilocal, their social organization is communal. They live in gampôngs, which combine to form districts known as mukim
s.
Aceh came to international attention as being the hardest-hit region of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
with 120,000 people dead.
, many Acehnese fled abroad. The most significant number of Acehnese can be found in Malaysia and Scandinavia
countries. Acehnese immigrants also can be found significantly in Singapore
, Thailand
, Australia
, United States
and Canada
.
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Their homeland is located in the northern-most tip of the island of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and had a history of political struggle against the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Their language, the Acehnese
Acehnese language
Acehnese or Aceh is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by Acehnese people natively in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia...
, belongs to the Aceh–Chamic groups of Malayo-Polynesian
Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
branch of the Austronesian
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
language family.
They were at one time Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
ized, as is evident from their traditions and the many Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
words in their language. They have been Muslims for several centuries and are generally considered the most conservative Muslim ethnic group in Indonesia.
Traditionally, there have been a large number of Acehnese agriculturists, metal-workers and weavers. Traditionally matrilocal, their social organization is communal. They live in gampôngs, which combine to form districts known as mukim
Mukim
In Brunei, a mukim is a subdivision of a daerah . The equivalent of the word 'mukim' in English would be 'sub-district'.In Malaysia, a mukim can either be a subdivision of a daerah or a subdivision of sub-district, In Singapore, a mukim is one of two varieties of survey...
s.
Aceh came to international attention as being the hardest-hit region of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
with 120,000 people dead.
Overseas Acehnese
Due to conflict since Dutch invasion to Aceh until Martial Law in Aceh and 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, many Acehnese fled abroad. The most significant number of Acehnese can be found in Malaysia and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
countries. Acehnese immigrants also can be found significantly in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Notable persons
- Iskandar MudaIskandar MudaIskandar Muda was the twelfth Sultan of Aceh, under whom the sultanate achieved its greatest territorial extent, and was the strongest power and wealthiest state in the western Indonesian archipelago and the Strait of Malacca. "Iskandar Muda" literally means "young Alexander," and his conquests...
- Cut Nyak DhienCut Nyak DhienCut Nyak Dhien or Tjoet Nja' Dhien was the widow of Teuku Umar. She led guerrilla actions against the Dutch after the death of her husband. She fought against the Dutch for 25 years...
- Cut Nyak MeutiaCut Nyak MeutiaCut Nyak Meutia is a Indonesian national hero from Aceh.-Life:Cut Nyak Meutia, also known as Cut Meutia, was born in Perlak, Aceh, in 1870. When she grew into adulthood, she married Teuku Sam Searah. They divorced not long after marriage.-Against the Dutch:Cut Nyak Meutia's new husband was Cut...
- Teungku Chik di Tiro
- P. RamleeP. RamleeTan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee, was a Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Due to his contributions to the movie and music industry and his literary work, he is often considered the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra .-Biography:P...
- Teuku Muhammad HasanTeuku Muhammad HasanTeuku Muhammad Hasan was an Indonesian Politician, and The First Governor of Sumatera after Indonesian Independence in 1945 , and Deputy Chairman, concurrently Home Affairs, Education & Culture and Religious Affairs ad interim in Sjafruddin Prawiranegara's Indonesia Emergency Cabinet .- Early...
- Teuku UmarTeuku UmarTeuku Umar was the a member of the Acehnese guerrilla forces during the Aceh War in Aceh, later as a leader, from 1873 until his death. He was killed in a surprise attack in Meulabohis a Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia . He led a guerrilla campaign in Aceh during the Aceh War...
- Teuku JacobTeuku JacobTeuku Jacob was an influential Indonesian paleoanthropologist. As a student of Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald in the 1950s, Jacob discovered and studied numerous specimens of Homo erectus...
- Hasan di TiroHasan di TiroTengku Hasan Muhammad di Tiro , born Hasan Bin Leube Muhammad, was the founder of the Free Aceh Movement , an organization which attempted to separate Aceh from Indonesia from the 1970s. It surrendered its separatist goals and agreed to disarm as agreed to in the Helsinki peace deal of 2005...
- Teuku WisnuTeuku WisnuTeuku Wisnu is a Aceh-blooded soap opera actor . Men who have a 178 cm high and weight 68 kg was already starred in several soap operas, movies, advertisements and became a presenter...