ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Superstition and sports often go hand in hand and the Buffalo Bills are no exception. It's hard to forget the team's massive play-off drought and of course, the lack of a Super Bowl title.
Now, what if we told you there may be a common thread?
Savvy bills fans may know about the Sheldon Family Cemetery located between gates 6 and 7 at Highmark Stadium. The early pioneer cemetery dates all the way back to the 1800s but was spared during construction.
Problem solved right? Well, not exactly.
According to a plaque located inside that very Cemetery, a portion of the Bills' property may also reside on an early Native American settlement and burial site; with restless spirits still holding back the team.
"As an indigenous woman and a member of Bills Mafia, I felt it was my duty to come out here and do what I could to help our guys bring home a Super Bowl," said Valerie Hill.
After hearing about the "curse" from her Aunt, Valerie, a member of the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada drove down before the Bills' home playoff game against the Patriots to hold a traditional indigenous ceremony. She burned tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar traditional medicines meant to banish bad spirits.
"The little bit of smoke will attract the spirits. We'll offer our intentions and wishes and we'll give it back to the earth," Hill said.
The "curse" surrounding Bills stadium is an urban legend but it's one that Leo Roth, a now-retired sports columnist for the Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester researched heavily for a story he wrote back in 2015.
"Very credible resources had pinpointed that area from Abbott Road, Southwestern Boulevard, and Big Tree. That area they said was the site of a Wenro (Wenrohronon) Indian village and burial site," Roth said in an interview with 2 On Your Side.
Leo interviewed Orchard Park historical experts and examined New York archives from a 1920s archeologist, which led him back to the very last line of a plaque at the Sheldon Family Cemetery.
"It said something like the site of this stadium is also on what's believed to be an ancient Indian burial ground," Roth said.
7 years later, Hill who read Roth's article said she felt obliged to help.
"The person that wrote the article suggested that something needed to be done that somebody should put steps in place to I guess reconcile anything that happened here," Hill said.
Roth was glad to hear about what Hill had done when 2 On Your Side spoke with him late Friday so whether you believe the "curse" really did exist Hill’s action could not have hurt and may have even lifted it.
"If you're a believer in clairvoyance and the supernatural and the fact that the Bills are 0-4 in Super Bowls. It's something to think about... but I think they're just as ready to put that aside and get the job done," Roth said.
RELATED STORY: