Bearing with the Bearwalker

[QuirkyBestiary]

So I've had 'The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls' for quite a while now, seeing as I used to be enormously into the Supernatural TV show. It's quite an impressive book for something which is so obviously just merchandise for a television show, and includes fictionalised accounts of and references to, fairly obscure creatures like the Abiku and Bonhomme Sept Heures. However, ever since I've owned the book there was always one creature in it that really bugged me. It was called the 'Bearwalker', and I remember trying to find information on it for the project that came before L&O (basically a much less expansive mythology-based world which I soon abandoned and created L&O). I could never find a concise source referencing this creature other than the book itself. So, here's the information given in the book.



So yeah, they sound fairly different from Skinwalkers - especially the fire-breathing part. They also seem to be able to use enchanted or cursed food to bewitch victims. Any ideas where the book might have got these critters from? Are they really mythological?

[WannabeDemonLord]

There were bear spirits in the Chippewa/Ojibwe pantheon, as well as the terrifying bear-like monster Ganiagwaihegowa. This could be an interpretation of Ganiagwaihegowa, but honestly, it doesn't sound that similar. It could be based on a translation of something real, or it could be a fictional variation on the Skinwalker. The fact that they specifically cite it as Chippewa makes me think it might be loosely based on something real, but without the indigenous name, it's impossible to tell.

[QuirkyBestiary]

Huh. I think I might have found some information about it, actually. I searched up 'Bearwalker' and came up with some irrelevant stuff, but one of the recommended searches was 'Bear Walker Myth' - and so I searched that.
www.google.co.uk/search?q=bear+walker+myth&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjz7aWSs7_eAhXR_aQKHUQkAwsQ1QIIfSgF&biw=1280&bih=579

EDIT: I found its real mythological name. It's called the Me'coubmoosa and is a malevolent sorceror who 'walks by night' in the form of a bear.
www.google.co.uk/search?q=me%27coubmoosa&oq=me%27coubmoosa&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

EDIT EDIT: Here's my bestiary entry for the Bear-Walker -
Me’Coubmoosa - Also simply known as 'Bearwalkers', these North American magic users use their supernatural powers to assume either the forms of bears, owls or other animals in order to get close to their intended victims, whereupon they infect them with a painful poison. They are known from the folklore of the Michigan-dwelling Ojibwe and Cree people, and are said to offer their shapeshifting prowess to those who can pay them enough. Weaker people will be knocked unconscious by their presence.