Background
Maria was born in Kema, a small town in the regency of North Minahasa in the province of North Sulawesi.
Maria was born in Kema, a small town in the regency of North Minahasa in the province of North Sulawesi.
Maria and her sister attended Malay school (Indonesian: Sekolah Melayu).
Her parents were Maramis and Sarah Rotinsulu. Andries Maramis later became involved in the independence of Indonesia and held ministerial and ambassadorship positions in the Indonesian government. The name comes from the fact that the language used in the school was Malay language or an early term for the Indonesian language.
The school taught basic knowledge, such as how to read and write, and some science and history.
After moving to Manado, Maramis started writing op-eds in a local newspaper called Tjahaja Siang. In these articles, she argued the importance of the role of mothers in the family unit
She stressed that the care and health of the family were the responsibility of the mother. A child’s early education also came from the mother.
The purpose of this organization was to teach women with elementary school level education family matters, such as cooking, sewing, infant care, and hand-crafting.
Through the leadership of Maramis, grew with the addition of branches around Minahasa, such as in Maumbi, Tondano, and Motoling. Branches in Java were also organized by local women in Batavia, Bogor, Bandung, Cimahi, Magelang, and Surabaya. On June 2, 1918, opened a school in Manado.
Maramis continued to be active in until her death on April 22, 1924.
To honor her contributions to the advancement of women in Indonesia, Maria Walanda Maramis was named a national hero (Indonesian: Pahlawan Pergerakan Nasional) by the government of Indonesia on May 20, 1969. In 1919, a regional representative body for Minahasa (Dutch: Minahasa Raad) was established.
Its members were originally selected, but elections were planned to pick subsequent members through popular vote. Only men were given the opportunity to become representatives, but Maramis championed the rights of women to cast votes to choose these representatives.
Her efforts reached Batavia (now known as.
Then called Betawi in Indonesian) and in 1921 the Dutch allowed the participation of women in the elections of representatives for the Minahasa Raad.