Deberry, Willie

Researchers discovered the artifacts within 'mysterious mounds' in a remote part of Ghana. Since the mounds also contain human skulls, it's likely that the site once housed the as-of-yet unnamed culture's shrines. Hundreds of the mounds are densely packed within an 18.6-mile square. Normally such digs take months, but because the mounds were so close together, it took the scientists just two weeks to excavate the figures.The relative position of the figurines surrounded by human skulls means the mounds were the location of an ancient shrine.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/african-society-revealed-in-early-animal-human-figures.html