The Republic's First Female Martyr
EMMY Saelan's dream of being a nurse was cut short when she decided to take up arms against the Dutch, who had returned after Indonesia's declaration of independence. Emmy came from a family of educators and freedom fighters in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Robert Wolter Mongisidi--perhaps the most widely known martyr in Indonesia's history--disclosed his close relationship to Emmy when he was questioned by the Dutch police, before he was executed. When most women in that time period chose to wear dresses, Emmy preferred to wear pants. Her fair complexion earned her the title Daeng Kebo ('daeng' is an honorific for an older person in the Buginese language, while 'kebo' means white). She was the first woman to carry out a suicide attack, refusing to be captured or to surrender.
April 25, 2017
Early 'Kartinis' in War Time
Emmy's name is not often mentioned in the history of Indonesia's independence.
Salmah Soehartini Saelan, or Emmy Saelan, died at the age of 22 in a suicide attack, refusing to surrender to Dutch troops on January 21, 1947. Her courage in battle is why she is revered to this day as a brave freedom fighter in Sulawesi.
We decided to tell her story in this special edition. Because Raden Ajeng Kartini was born in April, t
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