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Location
50 kms west of the village of Sepupa -
Okavango Panhandle
Archaeological
studies
have revealed that this area has been occupied by humans for at
least 100,000 years.
There are paintings on all the hills that cover 9 km2 of rock
in a 22 km2 area.
The best sites are at the north end of the Female hill.
The nearest known site is 250 km away.
Further, the paintings at Tsodilo are generally unlike others
in the southern African region in both style and the incidence
of certain images.
Many are isolated figures and over half depict wild and domestic
animals, particularly the eland.
Some are scenes, but few seem to tell a story.
Many are outlined schematic designs and geometrical patterns.
It is almost certain that most were painted by the Bushmen. |
Rock Art in the Tsodilo Hills |
Tsodilo
Hills Explained
the four hills form a line and are referred to
by the San people as "The Male" - the largest hill which
reaches a height of 410 metres above the surrounding plain;
"The Female" - a smaller hill, about 300m,
but has an overall area of almost three times
that of The Male;
and the next in size of 40m is referred to as
"The Child" and lies about 2km away from
The Female.
Beyond these three is a much smaller unnamed knoll, located 2.2km
northwest of The Child, which legend has it was The Male Hill's
first wife who was discarded when he met and married the taller
Female Hill.
The spiritual quality of the hills was noted by
the famous author Sir Laurens van der Post
in his book "The Lost World of the Kalahari".
It was here that Sir Laurens's cameras
inexplicably jammed, his tape recorders
ceased functioning and his party was
attacked by swarms of bees three mornings
running.
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Tsodilo Hills
When he learned from his guide that two of
his party had disturbed the Tsodilo spirits by
ignoring long-established protocol and killing
a warthog and a steenbok while approaching
the sacred hills, van der Post buried a note of
apology beneath the panel of paintings that
now bears his name and it was apparently accepted.
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The
San People
Tsodilo is a place of special significance to the San who have
been living here for thousands of years.
They believe the hills are a resting place for the
spirits of the deceased and that their various gods live in caverns
within the Female Hill, from where they rule the world.
The most sacred place is near the top of the
Male Hill; legend has it that the first spirit knelt
here to pray after creating the world.
This was when the rocks were still soft and the
San believe you can still see the impression of his knees in the
gray rock.
It is believed that these gods will cause misfortune if anyone
hunts or causes death near the hills.
The Harnbukushu, who also live in the area, believe the hills
are where God lowered man to earth |
Bushmen - Dance
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Accommodation
There are no lodges and just a few campsites in the immediate
Tsodilo area.
Suitable only for completely self-sufficient
overland expeditions |
Getting
There The track to Tsodilo Hills is extremely
rough
and suitable only for four-wheel-drive vehicles.
The turning off the main Maun/Shakawe road is just south of Sepupa
and is indicated with a
National Museum signpost |
