Derived from the Hambukushu tribal language "sorile" which means sheer or upright, The Tsodilo Hills are one of the most historical and momentous art sites in the world. These hills consist of four (4) large rocks rising phenomenally from the flatness of the desert. The bigger rock is referred to as the "male", the smaller as the "female" and the smallest one as the "child". Legend has it that the 4th Hill was the "male" hills first wife, whom he left for a younger woman, and who now looks on in the background. The hills are regarded as the Bushmen's sacred and ancestral haven, where the spirits of their forefathers rule the world. Folk tale also has it that these Hills are where God lowered man to earth.
There are rock paintings on all the rock hills, which covers nine square kilometers of rock in a 22 square kilometer area. This artwork is believed to have been done by the first Bushmen, who painted more than three thousand five hundred paintings on the hills, and the oldest paintings are thought to be more than twenty thousand years old. The best sites are seen at the north end of the female hill.