HERstory: Southeast Asia

This is Part 2 of Acehnese Women at War. In Part 1 we talked about Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Nyak Meutia, two heroines with very similar elite backgrounds, both widowed twice, and fought the Dutch to their very last breath. Their legacy is preserved in both national and popular culture, something that has not been afforded to the majority of female palace guards, guerillas, and combatants who gave th...

In this two-part episode, we’ll be talking about Acehnese Women at War. In part 1, we’ll discuss the “Named” women, Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Nyak Meutia, whose lives are fairly well-documented. Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Nyak Meutia were two noblewomen turned guerilla fighters who were widowed twice and defied the Dutch colonizers to the very end of their lives. In part 2, we’ll talk about the less know...

Episode 18 is about Osoet Pegua, an influential Thai businesswoman of Mon descent who acted as the business agent between the Ayutthaya Kingdom and the Netherlands in the mid-17th century. This episode was made possible by the generosity of Dr. Dhiravat na Pombejra, former Associate Professor at Chulalongkorn University, who shared his 2011 lecture on Osoet Pegua. This month's ad is the History of...

This episode is not about a particular historical figure, but about an embattled group of women known as the nyai , housekeepers, companions, and concubines in the former Dutch East Indies, or present-day Indonesia. We’ll learn about them through several narratives, the most popular of which is Nyai Ontosoroh’s story from the 1980 novel, This Earth of Mankind. We’re going to start with a bit of ba...

We’re back from the long much-needed break and ready to continue our exploration into the hidden worlds of Southeast Asian women, with diverse topics and interviews centered on the colonial period before World War 2. This episode is about “Filipino Girlhood in American Colonial Manila, 1908-1939.” Girls’ studies or girlhood studies is a developing field of historical research in the Philippines, s...

This is the last part of episode 15, where we sit down with Kai, a musicology major and comic book fan, for a casual chat about Trese, a Filipino komik series written by Budjette Tan and illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo. Alexandra Trese is a Babaylan-Mandirigma who deals with crimes of supernatural origin. Its first issue was published in 2005 and the animated adaptation for Netflix premiered on June...

This is episode 15, part 2, where we sit down with independent researcher, Makadiwata , to get their thoughts on the babaylan's role in uprisings during the colonial period as well as the divide between the indigenous or traditional babaylan and the modern babaylan in the Philippines and abroad. Follow Makadiwata on Twitter if you want to send them more questions after listening to the episode! Be...

The last episode of Season 1 is about a group of people, usually women, called the Babaylan -- shamans endowed with powers to cure the sick, predict right times of planting and harvest, and invoke the souls of ancestors to guide the deceased to the afterlife. There are many people I'd like to acknowledge. First, the patrons Raymond, Matt, Chito, Ashley, Shereen, Chanda, Yati, Kara,  and Mando...

A heroine nine-feet tall, with yard-long breasts, and a voice like a temple bell riding an elephant into battle? There is a lot going on in episode 14, Ba Trieu and the Uprising of 248 AD. Ba or Lady Trieu was a 3rd century Vietnamese warrior who managed, for a time, to resist the Chinese state of Eastern Wu during its occupation of Vietnam. We also present a correction about the "cetbang," or the...

This episode is about Dyah Gitarja, a Javanese queen regnant and the third Majapahit monarch, reigning from 1328 to 1350. I went over the top on clips on this one, but it's a long story! We have two ads this month: First is the History of Colonisation podcast! @hoc_pod is hosted by Nanyang Technological University student, Fidellithy. Second is @tuktukbox, a specialty food retailer offering curate...

In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the Cham, a matriarchal and matrilineal society descended from the refugees of the Kingdom of Champa, whose members now mostly reside in Vietnam and Cambodia. Later in this episode we’ll meet Ang Mei, one of only three female Cambodian rulers, who was queen during a pivotal moment in Cham history. We have two ads this month: First, meet @tuktukbox, a...

In this episode, we’ll meet Cik Siti Wan Kembang, who according to some sources was the ruler of the state of Kelantan from 1610 to 1677. Like the previous episode on Prinsesa Urduja of Tawalisi, fact meets fiction for Cik Siti Wan Kembang and her daughter Puteri Saadong. This month's ad is the History of Colonisation podcast! @hoc_pod is hosted by Nanyang Technological University student, Fidelli...

This December, we are joined by Tiffanie Ang, a University of the Philippines Film Institute graduate, Creative Director of VISH Media, and director of the short film Princess Urduja. In the second part of this two-part interview, we will take a deep dive into the filmmaking process and discuss the legacy of this warrior princess. Please stay until the end for a preview of the History of Colonisat...

This December, we are joined by Tiffanie Ang, a University of the Philippines Film Institute graduate, Creative Director of VISH Media, and director of the short film Princess Urduja. In the first part of this two-part interview, we will be talking about myth versus legend, how the short film came to be, and the immense power of telling stories. And stay until the end for a preview of the History...

In this special two-part episode, we’ll uncover the story of Prinsesa Urduja of Tawalisi, a legendary warrior princess who led her own army. While she was recorded in the travel accounts of Ibn Battuta in the 14th century and is a popular heroine in the Philippines, we still don’t actually know for sure where Tawalisi is.  In the first part we’ll talk about Ibn Battuta’s account of Tawalisi a...

In this episode, we’ll meet Queen Indradevi of the Khmer Civilization, one of Cambodia's first known women poets and the author of the Sanskrit poem inscribed on the stele at the temple of Phimeanakas in Siem Reap.  While this episode is called Indradevi, the Poet Queen of Angkor, this really is about three people -- Queen Indradevi, her younger sister Queen Jayarajadevi, and their husband, K...

In this episode, we’ll talk about Hajjah Fatimah, the Sultana of Gowa, a tradeswoman and philanthropist from Malacca who built the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque, a rare example of a mosque named after a woman in Singapore. We'll also discuss the mosque as well as Hajjah Fatimah’s descendants who still play a role in managing it today. This month's short bonus episode on Patreon is about the Krom Klone of...

In this episode, we’ll talk about the Minangkabau, a matrilineal society in West Sumatra, Indonesia which traces descent and inheritance through the female line. In the second half of this episode, we will be joined by Haldi Patra, a writer, podcaster, history master’s student, and Orang Minang. Haldi's full interview is available on Patreon. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @he...

This episode is about the Trung Sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, heroines of the first Vietnamese independence movement, who headed a rebellion against Chinese Han dynasty overlords and briefly established an autonomous state.  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @herstoryseapod! For a copy of the show notes with all the references, access to the close friends Instagram stor...

In this special two-part episode, we are going to talk about the Indonesian heroine Raden Ajeng Kartini, with our guest Priscilla Riabertha. Raden Ajeng Kartini is a prominent Indonesian national hero from Java. She was a pioneer in the area of education for girls and women's rights for Indonesians. In the first part, we discussed her early life, experience during pingitan or seclusion, and views...

In this special two-part episode, we are going to talk about the Indonesian heroine Raden Ajeng Kartini, with our guest Priscilla Riabertha. Raden Ajeng Kartini is a prominent Indonesian national hero from Java. She was a pioneer in the area of education for girls and women's rights for Indonesians. In the first part, we discuss her early life, experience during pingitan or seclusion, and views on...

Welcome! In episode 4 we’re going to talk about Aceh’s Laksamana Keumalahayati, the first female admiral in the (modern) world, who led the Inong Balee, an all-women army of widows. This episode is special because we feature a song called Malahayati by the Indonesian band Keubitbit.  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @herstoryseapod! For a copy of the show notes with all the...

In this episode, we’ll meet Lady Chan and Lady Mook, the Heroines of Phuket, who defended the island in the Burmese–Siamese War of 1785–1786. How did two sisters come to be in charge of an island's defence? What does their memory mean to the people of Thailand? Find out now and don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @herstoryseapod! For a copy of the show notes with all the re...

In this episode, we’ll talk about Raja Hijau’s rise to power, and the Malay Sultanate of Patani’s nearly unbroken line of queens from 1584 to 1718. This episode features a music clip, "Bangkit Pemuda Pemudi - Patriot Patani" by Fai Kencrut .  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @herstoryseapod! For a copy of the show notes with all the references, access to the close...

In this episode, we’re going to meet the beautiful and ruthless Queen Supayalat. She has long been credited for the massacre of a hundred of the King's relatives to ensure her claim to the throne. But she would not hold on to power for long. Join us as we take you through the story of the last queen of Burma. This episode has been re-recorded on the first year anniversary of the podcast using bett...