The bottle tree
October 15, 2009 – 8:34 am
Bottle Tree at Riverbanks Zoo
Since October is the month when most cultures around the world celebrate the closeness between the earthly world and the spirit world, I thought I’d share the history of the one of the South’s most prominent spiritual symbols; the bottle tree.In many global traditions, people honor their dead by decorating gravesites with all sorts of earthly gifts. Sometimes it’s with food or drink, sometimes with flowers or other living memorials. Most of the time these adornments are merely decorative but sometimes they are symbols of protection. In certain African tribal communities, gravesites were decorated with plates suspended on the ends of large sticks. These plates represented mushrooms. Since the kongo word for mushroom is very similar to the word for love, the mushroom decorations represented the love they held for the deceased relative.
When African tribes came to America, this tradition took a new turn. Symbols of love were replaced by symbols of protection. Bottles were turned upside down to “catch” the evil spirits that threatened the dead. It was believed that the colorful light that danced through the bottles attracted the spirits inside. Once captured, the bottles (and the evil spirits) were corked and thrown into a nearby river to be carried far away.
Over the years, this tradition migrated from gravesites to homesites. Today, bottle trees can be seen all over the south. Although many no longer believe in their protective symbolism, they display the trees as a way of honoring the heritage of the African culture. Interestingly enough, in so doing they are actually returning to the roots of the tradition probably more so than they know. By honoring their heritage they are once again honoring their ancestors, in the same manner that the kongo tribes once did, as a symbol of love and respect.
2 Responses to “The bottle tree”
On the back road between Madrid and Santa Fe dwell many strange, and possibly magical people… Sometimes it’s hard to tell between magical and simply lacking a second oar.
At any rate, if you’re paying attention you might catch a glimpse from the road of a bottle house. All the trees and the fence have been “bottled,” and the house itself has shards imbedded like mosaics. The whole places dances when the sun is just right! xx
By Hartley on Oct 16, 2009
What were the bottles at the Riverbank Zoo bottle made of. Caroline
By caroline Farrar on Oct 16, 2009