The term odong-odong is simply translated as “song’, nyanyian, in Tindi Radja Manik’s Pakpak-Dairi-Dictionary, without further specification. But according to Oloan Tumangger’s publication on Pakpak-Dairi culture odong-odong refers specifically to the songs sung by men working in the solitude of the jungle when they collect forest products. Tumangger finds odong-odong very attractive because of their poetic qualities, often expressing pent-up feelings of sadness and disappointment in love or life. They may be performed either by a solo singer or in a choir and are not accompanied by instrumental music (Tumangger 1999:88).
