Taken from Bottles wikipedia…
Since prehistoric times, bottle containers were created from clay or asphaltum sealed woven containers. Early glass bottles were produced by the Phoenicians; specimens of Phoenician translucent and transparent glass bottles have been found in Cyprus and Rhodes generally varying in length from three to six inches.[3] These Phoenician examples from the first millennium BC were thought to have been used for perfume.[4] The Romans learned glass-making from the Phoenicians and produced many extant examples of fine glass bottles, mostly relatively small.
First attested in English in the 14th century, the word bottle derives from old French boteille, which comes from vulgar Latin butticula, itself from late Latin buttis meaning “cask”, which is perhaps the latinisation of the Greek βοῦττις (bouttis), “vessel”.[1][2]
The glass bottle was an important development in the history of wine, because, when combined with a high-quality stopper such as a cork, it allowed long-term aging of wine. Glass has all the qualities required for long-term storage. It eventually gave rise to “château bottle”.
Taken from the History of Bottle Trees http://www.felderrushing.net/HistoryofBottleTrees.htm
“Although glass was made deliberately as early as 3500 B.C. in northern Africa, hollow glass bottles began appearing around 1600 B.C. in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Clear glass was invented in Alexandria around 100 A.D.
Soon around then, tales began to circulate that spirits could live in bottles – probably from when people heard sounds caused by wind blowing over bottle openings. This led to the belief in “bottle imps” and genies (from the Arabic word djinn) that could be captured in bottles (remember Aladdin and his magic lamp? This story originated as an Arabian folk tale dating back thousands of years, even before clear glass was invented). Somewhere in there, people started using glass to capture or repel bad spirits. The idea was, roaming night spirits would be lured into and trapped in bottles placed around entryways, and morning light would destroy them.”
Taken from the book Rituals of Resistance by John r, Young chapter on spirit bottles…
Nkisi Nkondi Mungundu(1907) A dark green wine bottle which is called the “walking boy” was used to agitate in possession in ritual drumming and invocations this nkisi now lives in the national museum of ethnography in Stockholm.
In Virgina the old conjurers had a root called “Rattlesnake master” in which was put into a bottle and buried at the burial site where the conjure doctor drew in the ground cross marks representing the four winds and the “ground dogs”(perro de prenda) would come and break the bottle and a strong pain came over the victim and a painful death started their after.
The Gullah customs from the old Kongo… Taken from http://moregeechee.blogspot.com/2012/12/blue-bottle-tree.html?m=1
The blue-bottle tree is another one of those southern tradition that many people don’t know the complete history of. Having a blue-bottle tree in the yard is an old Gullah/Geechee custom. The trees are used to capture evil haint for getting into one’s home. The haint are lured inside the bottle by light reflected thru the blue-bottle at dusk. Once the haint are inside the bottle they are trapped. What happens to them are up for debate. Some say that they are trapped in the bottles forever, and the noise you hear are the haint moaning, and crying. Others say that once the sun rises the haint are vaporized by the sun’s light.
Nsala Malongo everyone as I put up all this information on the spirit bottles. I ask myself and the readers who seem to be a very intelligent group of individuals “Why is it when we talk of things people do not know of right away it is an invention or an innovation? The ntumbo the afro cuban bozal word for Bottle is one of the most if not influential part of many muna nso that have this pact with the nfumbe. Some ntumbos have ritual elements, some seem to be empty but with ritual practice and know how people have been putting energy to work in a bottle for a long time at least 1,600 into the bottles existence. This is not a TV episode of Alladin or any other famous genies. This is an intricate part of Palo Mayombe teachings. A lot of people may not know it but that does not mean it does not exist. In the minds of many practitioners who are not schooled are very ignorant to the process and ritual undertaking of the Ntumbo which in Vodou maybe considered a Pwen, In Togo Benin the bottle is used for an Orisha’s House called Chango Hevioso. Now this is not a matter of syncretism moreso than showing the reader to be an observer of truth and not of what many out there believe to be. Which is totally oblivious to the true practice of Palo Mayombe.
The bottle in many instances came from the ceramic process of cooking earth and in the meantime better productions of refinement as the art got better showed glass to be a very durable material. When we see scholars like John R Young and others who have studied and gone to places in Africa, Louisiana, Afro Caribbean places talking about the uses of spiritual bottles and people going on tirades about how it is an invention. It is sad to see that these “Supposed Paleros” are truly and sorely deprived academically. In other words they are just plain old dumb. I say to those out there study learn the basics of your faith and then get into the academic level and do cross comparisons and understand that while you will not learn Palo Mayombe from a book but you will get a better understanding why things proportionately are done. Most of those people who go on an ignorant rant about inventions most likely it is due to the lack of understanding in their Muna Nso. We are seekers of truth and light and to be informed is to be filled with knowledge and understanding. The Ntumbo has its place in Palo and its ritual presence. Just because maybe your muna nso does not use does not mean it does not exist.
Tata Musitu