Rasuna Said: Lioness of the Indonesian Independence Movement

Rasuna Said is one of the few Indonesian women accorded the status of National Hero. Born in Maninjau, West Sumatra, in 1910, Rasuna is honoured for her contribution to the nationalist movement in the years leading up to Indonesia’s independence and for the official roles she undertook once independence had been achieved. Oft en referred to as Singa Betina (lioness) or Srikandi (warrior princess), an epitaph reportedly given to her by Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, Rasuna is regarded as the embodiment of a female fighting spirit.1 She is identified strongly with the Minangkabau ethnic group, from which she and many other nationalist leaders came, a people known for their combative nature and deep sense of Islamic piety.