Introduction: Diasporas, histories, and heritage -- From the diminutive to the transatlantic -- Shared meanings and culture dynamics -- Core symbols across a continuum -- A core symbol of the BaKongo culture -- Marking social group contours -- Expressions of group identity and individual purpose -- A model for diaspora analysis -- Interpreting cultural expressions through ethnohistorical analogy -- BaKongo culture in West Central Africa -- Predicting facets of symbolic expression in new settings -- African diasporas and symbolism in the New World -- Private rituals in North America -- Yoruba and BaKongo dynamics in Cuba -- Innovation of new emblems in Haiti and Brazil -- Afro-Christian dynamics in North America -- European diasporas and the persistence of magic -- From the Palatinate to Virginia -- Hexerei practices among German-Americans -- Social networks and interpersonal conflicts -- Expressions instrumental and emblematic -- Creolization, hybridity, and ethnogenic bricolage.