bear walker
nounEtymology Calque of Ojibwe me'coubmoosa (“bear walker”).
1
Arts, Folklore, History, Human sciences, Literature, Media, Publishing, Sciences An evil sorcerer, specifically one who walks by night in the form of a bear.
Native American
- The hair ornament was worn by the Bear-Walker before and during the casting of spells.1901, Charles Edward Brown, The Wisconsin Archeologist, page 116:
- He told Jim he saw a Bear-walker approaching the house then and there.1953, Inland Seas, Great Lakes Historical Society, page 13
1 more example
- These bear-walkers owed their powers to their personal manito, the bear, and traveled in disguise at night, causing disease among their victims.1983, Christopher Vecsey, Traditional Ojibwa Religion and its Historical Changes, →ISBN, page 148:
- Synonyms
- werebear
- Related terms
- bear walk