THE BIBLE ON TOTEMS, SYMBOLISM AND IDOLATRY

INTRODUCTION

The concept of totems is deeply rooted in various traditions around the world. A totem is typically an animal or object believed to possess spiritual significance and is often associated with a particular group or individual. 

Totems are revered in some cultures for their spiritual or symbolic significance. Hardly a day goes by without someone (both Christians and non Christians) posting an argument on Facebook in support of or against the use of totems. 

Those who are for totems limit their meaning to mere symbols while those who are against the practice of totems attach it to a deeper spiritual meaning and idolatry. The concept of totemism is not directly addressed in the Bible, but it is essential for Christians to understand how their faith relates to such practices. 

While totems have their place in traditional practices, it is essential to examine them in light of biblical teachings. 

In this teaching, we will explore totems, symbolism, and the dangers of idolatry, basing on biblical principles and teachings.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is a thorough and unbiased research on the Christian perspective and biblical teachings. It is NOT a reflection of personal opinions or denominational preferences. 

My goal is not to join the debate Italian totems and take a side against the other, but it is to provide a balanced that important help the reader to come to an informed conclusion. 

It is important to approach this subject with an open mind and evaluate different viewpoints on the merit of Scriptural truth without taking sides or personal offense.

WHAT ARE TOTEMS?

First we must understand what a totem is and then see how it relates to the bible. According to ‘Wikipedia’ a totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe. 

Totemism is “belief in kinship with or a mystical relationship between a group or an individual and a totem” (http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/totemism).

The Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus define the word mystic as “having beyond normal human understanding or magical.” The same thesaurus says the word mystical is synonymous with occult, cabbalistic, and dark.

Totems refer to symbolic representations of various things, such as animals, elements, or objects that hold significance for individuals or groups. These symbols can carry cultural, spiritual, or personal meaning and may be used for identification, connection to nature, or as a source of inspiration. 

In many indigenous traditions, totems are spiritual symbols or objects that are associated with a particular group, clan, family, or individual. Totems are believed to embody or represent a particular animal, plant, or natural element, and they are often considered sacred. They can serve as guides, protectors, or sources of inspiration and strength to the people associated with them. 

In the African traditional religion, totems are said to represent aspects of an individual's personality, values, or aspirations based on their ancestral roots. In that context totems serve as symbolic significance spiritual guides for personal growth and self-discovery. 

Even in psychology, a totem is a personal or collective symbol that holds deep meaning and significance. 

 

THE ORIGIN OF TOTEMS

The origin of totems is a complex and multifaceted topic, as they have existed in various forms and have different origins depending on the specific cultural context. 

Totems have a long history in indigenous traditions around the world, particularly in North America, Australia, and parts of Africa. These communities have rich traditions and belief systems that incorporate totems as spiritual symbols and guides. 

The exact origins of totems in these cultures are deeply rooted in their mythology, creation stories, and ancestral practices, which often date back thousands of years. The concept of totems can be traced back to animism, which is one of the earliest known belief systems. 

Animism is the belief that all things, including animals, plants, and natural elements, possess a spiritual essence or soul. Totems, in this context, represent the connection between humans and the natural world, and they serve as a means to honor and communicate with the spiritual realm. 

Shamanic traditions, found in various traditions worldwide, also incorporate the use of totems. Shamans are spiritual practitioners who mediate between the physical and spiritual realms. 

Totems play a significant role in shamanic practices, as they are believed to provide guidance, protection, and access to spiritual powers. Shamans may connect with their personal totems during rituals, ceremonies, or trance-like states.

The word totem itself is an English version of the Ojibwe term 'doodem’ both as the word and beliefs associated with it. Ojibwe is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian language family. 

Belief in tuterary spirits (or spirit guides) and deities is not limited to the Ojibwe people. Modern neoshamanic, New Age, and mythopoetic men's movements not otherwise involved in the practice of a traditional, tribal religion have been known to use totems for personal identification with a tutelary spirit. 

A tutelary is a god or spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, family lineage (Shona 'dzinza'), nation, culture, or occupation. From a very tender age members of the community were taught the material and spiritual value of trees, forests, animals, water, snakes, birds and all other natural resources. 

As a result indiscriminate mowing down of trees, for example, was taboo. Some trees like the mutavhatsindi that is found in the Mutale area of the Vhembe district of the Limpopo Province, were sacred. It is the sacred nature and the curative qualities embedded in the tree that became known as the cultural foundation of and spiritual source of strength for the Vhatavhatsindi clan. 

It is also under its protective shade that clans gathered to invoke that ancestors intercede on their behalf for rain and other needs from Nwali (The supreme one). Some of the trees that are totems for particular clans are so valued and sacred that it was taboo to even think of cutting them down.

 

TOTEMS IN ZIMBABWE

In Shona tradition, people are understood to be more than the sum of their physical parts. The spiritual makeup of people is manifested through totems (revered animals) that expand one’s identity to include background, behaviour and way of thinking. Totems expand the range of a person’s identity to the spiritual through revered animals. 

Certain species of natural vegetation and wildlife are revered because they are believed to be hosts of spiritual forces. As such, beyond instrumental value, certain animals have significant value because of their spiritual significance as totems. 

A totem animal then forms part of one’s identity setting and is aligned to behaviour, attitude, and way of thinking. For example, amongst the Ndebele and Shona people, sexual relationships and marriages are strictly prohibited between men and women who have the same totem because they are seen as related.

 

Totems were assigned to different members of the Shona people by their leaders after they had entered into covenant with tutelary spirits or gods on behalf their families in pursuit of identity, freedom and success. 

Many Shona groups have elaborate praise poems for their totems which reflect the background to adoption of the particular totem. The Shona people did not only show respect to their ancestors and elders through totems, they worshipped them by way of praise names (zvidawo) and praise poems (nhetembo). 

When, for example, a member of such a clan has done something worthy to be praised people, usually the Tete (paternal aunt) invokes the spirit world of the clan through totemic praise.

 

Zimbabwean powerful ancestors were represented by the majestic mhondoro/lion spirit, which possessed mediums tasked with complex tasks. 

One such powerful spirit was the spirit of Nehanda (‘a lioness with cubs’), which only possessed female mediums and only those of the mhofu/eland totem. Her spirit possessed those who were most respected and had leadership skills and qualities. 

A woman who became Nehanda’s spirit medium remained single and was immediately bestowed the spirit name, Mbuya Nehanda. 

When Europeans first arrived in Zimbabwe, Nehanda’s spirit medium was a woman by the name of Nyakasikana (a little girl), whose spiritual leadership spanned the entire region of Zimbabwe. 

Coexisting with Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana’s mediumship, another great regional mhondoro spirit medium Kaguvi, possessed a man named Gumboreshumba (lion’s foot), who became known as Sekuru Kaguvi.

 

UNDERSTANDING SYMBOLISM IN THE BIBLE

Symbolism plays a significant role in the Bible, where various objects and animals are used to convey deeper meanings. 

For example, the dove symbolizes peace (Genesis 8:11), the lion represents strength (Proverbs 30:30), and the lamb symbolizes innocence (John 1:29). 

These symbols are not objects of worship but rather serve as metaphors or illustrations to convey spiritual truths.

TOTEMS VS ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH

The use of totems is a pagan practice which originated among the Gentiles, and was not common among the Jews. 

The animals associated with Israel are not totems, but symbols of God’s glory revealed in nature, for Israel was the nation chosen by God to reveal the glory of God.

 

Deu 7:6 says, “For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Jehovah your God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

 

The history of the Hebrews started with Abraham, the first father of the Jewish nation. At that time, before the bible was written God revealed His glory to the patriarchs through nature. 

Abraham was told to count the stars to perceive the order divine nature in them, and conceive it in his seed.

 

Gen 15:5 says, “And he (God) brought him (Abram) forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

 

The heavens were created by God and reflect His glory.

 

Psa 9:1-3 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” 

 

Psa 33:6 says, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” 

 

There are three classes of heaven: the first being the dome of clouds, the second being the stellar heaven where we have the groups of stars, the moon and the sun, and the third being the spiritual realm where we have the court of angels, the paradise of saints, and the throne of God. 

The stellar heavens reveals the three forms of God (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) in their three major groups - the Pleiades, the Orion and the Bear/Arcturus. 

The Bear/Arcturus reveals to us the twelve groups known as the Mazzaroth which is the Hebrew word for signs of the Zodiac (sequence of animals).

 

Job 38:31-32 (AMPC) says, “Can you bind the chains of [the cluster of stars called] Pleiades, or loose the cords of [the constellation] Orion? Can you lead forth the signs of the zodiac in their season? Or can you guide [the stars of] the Bear with her young?”

 

From Job 38 to Job 41 we see these twelve signs of the zodiac known as the stars/cubs of the Arcturus/Bear. Here is their list with their matching names in the modern zodiac which has developed from Babylonian astrology:

1. Water Jars/Bottles/Skins - Aquarius the Water Carrier (Job 38:37)
2. Rooster/Ibis/ Ram’s horn/trumpet - Aries the Ram (Job 38:38)
3. Lion - Leo the Lion (Job 38:39)
4. Raven/Crow - Virgo the Virgin (Job 38:41)
5. Wild Goats/Deer - Capricorn the Goat (Job 39:1)
6. Wild Donkey - Libra the Balancing Scales (Job 39:5)
7. Wild-Ox/unicorn/buffalo - Taurus the Bull (Job 39:9)
8. Ostrich/Peacock/Stork - Pisces the Fishes (Job 39:13)
9. Horse rider with Bow & Arrow - Saggitarius the Archer (Job 39:18)
10.  Eagle/Hawk/Vulture - Cancer the Crab (Job 39:26)
11. Behemoth - Gemini the Twin (Job 40:15)
12. Leviathan - Scorpio the Scorpion (Job 41:1)

Abraham looked at the major three groups of stars with the twelve signs of the zodiac and conceived the same image and likeness in the holy nation Israel. 

He became a type of the Father in the Godhead as a father of many nations, Isaac his son became a type of The Son who would be offered as the sacrifice for man’s sin who was also offered as a sacrifice by his father on Mt Moriah; and Jacob his grandson became a type of the Holy Spirit who was to birth the body of Christ through twelve apostles just as Jacob (Israel) gave birth to the nation Israel through twelve sons. 

The connection of the signs of the zodiac with the twelve sons and tribes of Israel were revealed when their Jacob (Israel) blessed them just before he died in Genesis 49. Here is their list with their matching names in the modern zodiac which has been developed from Babylonian astrology:

    1. Rueben ‘Unstable as water’ -Water Jars/Aquarius the Water Carrier (Gen 49:3-4)
2. Asher - Rooster/Ibis/ Ram’s horn/trumpet/Aries the Ram (Gen 49:20)
3. Judah - Lion - Leo the Lion (Gen 49:9)
4. Simeon ‘The virgin’s avenger’ - Raven/Crow/Virgo the Virgin (Gen 49:5-6)
5. Naphtali (A deer let loose) Wild Goats/Deer - Capricorn the Goat (Gen 49:21)
6. Issachar - Wild Donkey/Libra the Balancing Scales (Gen 49:14)
7. Levi - Wild-Ox/unicorn/buffalo - Taurus the Bull (Gen 49:5-6)
8. Zebulun- Ostrich/Peacock/Stork/Pisces the Fishes (Gen 49:13)
9. Joseph - Horse rider with Bow & Arrow/Saggitarius the Archer (Gen 49:22-24)
10. Benjamin - Eagle/Hawk/Vulture/Cancer the Crab (Gen 49:27)
11. Gad – Behemoth/Gemini the Twin (Gen 49:19)
12. Dan ‘A serpent by the way’ – Leviathan/Scorpio the Scorpion (Gen 49:16-17)

 

We are told that Jacob blessed each of his sons with the blessing ‘suited to him.’ This means that there was a set order of blessing for each of the twelve sons according to its matching revelation of the glory of God in the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Gen 49:28 (AMPC) says, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one according to the blessing suited to him.”

The connection of the signs of the zodiac with the twelve apostles and the body of the church (new Israel) were revealed when Jesus assigned nicknames to them before He died on the cross. 

Here is their list with their matching names in the zodiac:

1. Simon ‘the unstable Zealot’ -Water Jars/Aquarius the Water Carrier (Mat 10:4)
2. Andrew ‘the man shepherd’ - Ram’s horn/Aries the Ram (Mat 10:2)
3. Lebbaeus Thaddaeus ‘young lion’ – Lion/Leo the Lion (Mat 10:3)
4. James ‘the son of Zebedee’ - Raven/Crow/Virgo the Virgin (Mat 10:2)
5. Bartholomew Wild Goats/Deer - Capricorn the Goat (Mat 10:3)
6.  Matthew ‘the tax collector’ - Wild Donkey/Libra the Balancing Scales (Mat 10:3)
7. James the son of Alphaeus - Wild-Ox/unicorn/buffalo - Taurus the Bull (Mat 10:2)
8. Peter ‘the fisher of men’ - Ostrich/Peacock/Stork/Pisces the Fishes (Luk 5:1-10)
9. Philip ‘horse lover’ - Horse rider/Saggitarius the Archer (Mat 10:3)
10.  John ‘the son of Zebedee’ - Eagle/Hawk/Vulture/Cancer the Crab (Mat 10:2)
11.  Thomas called Didymus (The Twin) – Behemoth/Gemini the Twin (Joh 11:16)
12.  Judas Iscariot ‘the traitor’ – Leviathan/Scorpio the Scorpion (Mat 10:4)

 

So when Jesus gave the twelve apostles nicknames connected to animals, they were not totems of identity and protection. But they were symbols of the ministries of the twelve apostles which were to build the body of Christ in the same way the twelve tribes had built the nation of Israel. 

It is no accident that in the same way the physical human body is built of twelve interdependent systems listed below;

Circulatory/cardiovascular, digestive/excretory, endocrine/hormone, integumentary/exocrine, immune, lymphatic, muscular, central nervous, renal/urinary, reproductive, respiratory/breathing and skeletal system.

BEWARE OF IDOLATRY THROUGH TOTEMS

THE DANGER AND EFFECTS OF ANCESTRAL IDOLATRY IN TOTEMIC WORSHIP

In most traditions, totems are considered sacred and are used as a means to connect with the spiritual realm. But, it is important to note that the biblical perspective on totems differs from these traditional practices. 

Engaging in practices that attribute supernatural power or divinity to totems goes against biblical teachings. Totems are seen as objects of worship or spiritual significance, potentially leading to idolatry. 

The bible clearly condemns the worship of anything other than God. 

Exodus 20:3-6 (LITV) says, "You shall not have any other gods before Me. You shall not make a graven image for yourself, or any likeness in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow to them, and you shall not serve them; for I am Jehovah your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers on sons, on the third and on the fourth generation, to those that hate Me; and doing kindness to thousands, to those loving Me, and to those keeping My commandments."

The bible emphasizes the worship of the one true God and discourages the veneration of created objects or idols. God commands His people not to have any other gods before Him or to make idols for worship. 

Christians are called to worship and serve God alone. Idolatry, which involves attributing divine power or significance to created objects, is consistently condemned in the bible. 

Rom 1:25 (ESV) says, "...they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." 

Christianity teaches believers to discern and reject practices inconsistent with biblical teachings. God warns against engaging in various occult practices, including divination, sorcery, and witchcraft. 

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 (LITV) says, "When you come to the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you, you shall not learn to do according to the hateful acts of those nations. There shall not be found in you one who passes his son or his daughter through the fire, one that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or one divining, or a whisperer of spells, or a magic charmer, or one consulting mediums, or a spirit-knower, or one inquiring of the dead. For all doing these things are an abomination to Jehovah. And because of these filthy acts Jehovah your God is dispossessing these nations before you."

While totemic practices may vary in their nature, Christians are advised to align their spiritual lives with biblical principles. God is the Creator and Owner of all things. 

Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

Christians are called to recognize that God's authority extends over all creation, and our focus should be on worshiping and serving Him, rather than created objects. 

While totems may hold historic significance, it is crucial to discern between traditional practices and biblical principles. Engaging in totem worship can easily lead to idolatry. 

The Bible warns against putting any created thing above God and reminds us that all power and authority belong to Him alone (Isaiah 44:9-20). 

Idolatry, the worship of idols or false gods, is consistently condemned throughout the Bible. God's commandments emphasize the exclusive worship of Him alone. 

Idolatry not only undermines the relationship between God and His people but also leads to spiritual bondage and destruction.

Deuteronomy 4:15-19 (LITV) says, "Therefore you shall carefully watch over your souls, for you have not seen any likeness in the day Jehovah spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire, that you not deal corruptly, and make for yourselves a graven image, a likeness of any figure, the form of a male or female, the form of any animal in the earth; the form of any winged bird that flies in the heavens; the form of any creeping thing on the ground; the form of any fish in the waters under the earth; and that you not lift up your eyes towards the heavens and shall see the sun, and the heavens, and you be drawn away and worship them, and serve them; which Jehovah your God has allotted to all the peoples under all the heavens."

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN ZIMBABWE

The inhabitants of early Zimbabwe believed that it was their ancestors who watched over them, protected or punished them. It was also believed that certain acts, such as eating or harming one’s totem, would incur the wrath of the spirits of these same ancestors. 

When a family member dies the Shona people do a ritual at the grave (kurova guva) in order to bring back the spirit of the dead person in the home (kudzosa hama mumusha) during a ceremony known as magadziro (the fixing/making). 

During this ceremony the relatives eat unsalted meat from a beast (usually a cow or goat) killed as a sacrifice to the totemic spirit of the family. Both the Law of Moses and the gospel of grace given by Paul show that this is an unacceptable practice in the eyes of God.

 

Deu 32:16-17 says, “They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new ones newly come up, whom your fathers did not fear.”

 

1Co 10:19-20 says, “What then do I say? That the idol is anything, or that an idolatrous sacrifice is anything? But I say that the things which the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not desire that you should have fellowship with demons.”

 

It was is believed that the ancestors are the mediators between man and Musikavanhu (The Creator of people). But, the bible makes it clear that none can come to God except through Jesus Christ and that human life belongs to God and it is He who has the power to take it or give it. 

THE IDENTITY AND ORIGIN OF MUSIKAVANHU

Musikavanhu, is a god in the traditional beliefs of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Musikavanhu (creator of men) is regarded as a creator of all human life in the universe. He embodies both male and female qualities and is associated with various aspects of nature, including fertility and rain.

The worship of Musikavanhu is deeply rooted in the history of the Shona people, with reverence for this deity dating back to the ancient Mutapa Kingdom.

According to Shona mythology, Mwari (God) created Musikavanhu as the first man in the heavens and allowed him to fall to earth. Upon landing, Musikavanhu encountered a stone that became the sacred site known as Matopos, where he was instructed by Mwari on how to live and interact with the world.

Musikavanhu is seen as an omnipotent figure who controls the forces of nature and is involved in the social and political affairs of humanity.

The Shona people traditionally communicate with Musikavanhu through spirit mediums, who act as intermediaries between the deity and the people. This practice emphasizes the importance of ancestral spirits in their religious observances known as chivanhu (humanism).

Music and dance play a vital role in the worship of Musikavanhu, with sacred instruments like the mbira and hosho being used in rituals.

The Shona name for God-"Mwari" was adopted by Christian missionaries when translating the Bible into Shona, which led to a blending of traditional beliefs with Christian concepts with some confusing God for Musikavanhu. 

Musikavanhu is a fallen angel or Satan's principality who was given charge over the nation Zimbabwe, when God gave away nations that rebelled at the Tower of Babel to the fallen angels they obeyed as their cultural heritage.

Genesis 11:8-9 (WEB)  "So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth."

Deuteronomy 32:8 (ESV), "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God."

The phrase "sons of God" was used to refer to angels in the Old Testament. They are the ones who impregnated human women and gave birth to abnormal giants, and they presented themselves before God along with Satan. 

Genesis 6:4 (LITV) "The giants were in the earth in those days, and even afterwards when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore to them; they were heroes which existed from ancient time, the men of name."

Job 1:6 (LITV) "And a day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah. And Satan also came among them."

So, if Christians avoids eating or destroying their ‘so-called’ totem out of fear of the ancestors, they will unknowingly be giving those ancestral spirits credit for their life, and worshiping the devil through Musikavanhu; which credit and worship belongs to God alone and not to angels. 

Colossians 2:18 (WEB) "Let no one rob you of your prize by self-abasement and worshiping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind."

The ban from eating one’s totem is contrary to the teaching of Jesus and the apostles that all foods are clean once they are received with the prayer of thanksgiving.

 

1Ti 4:1-5 says, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the whole argument about totems and family genealogies is labelled as useless and foolish in the bible, such that the wise believer is advised to avoid them.

 

1Ti 1:4 says, “Nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies (which provide doubts rather than the nurture of God in faith).”

 

Tit 3:9 says, “But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions, and strivings about the Law, for they are unprofitable and vain.”

Totems, as understood in traditional practices, should be approached with caution from a biblical perspective. While symbols and metaphors are used in the Bible to convey spiritual truths, the worship of totems or any created object is considered idolatry. 

The principles of worship, avoiding false spiritual practices, and recognizing God's sovereignty over creation provide a framework for Christians to navigate their beliefs in relation to totemic practices. 

While the Bible does not explicitly address the concept of totems, Christians are encouraged to focus on the worship of the one true God and to avoid practices that may lead to idolatry or compromise their faith. 

Ultimately, the Christian faith emphasizes a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ as the foundation for spiritual fulfillment and guidance. 

Christians are called to worship the one true God and seek a personal relationship with Him, rather than relying on external symbols or objects. 

Christian worship is centered on a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It involves meditation, celebration and adoration, prayer, fasting, the study of God's Word, giving, and fellowship. 

Christians believe in the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives, guiding and transforming them. 

The Bible teaches that true worship involves a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ (John 4:23-24). It emphasizes the importance of worshiping God in spirit and truth, rather than relying on physical objects or symbols. 

While external symbols and rituals can be meaningful, they should never replace the heart of worship and an intimate connection with God. 

By aligning our lives with the teachings of the Bible, we can avoid the dangers of idolatry and grow in our faith and understanding of God. Shalom.