ah i wish i had more for you to go on but a while back i went down the same rabbit hole
1) there really isnt a well publicized native american story about this being some being in their culture. unless it’s like super niche, i wasn’t able to find anything reputable. sure a few murmurs here and there but not any of the more known tribes saying anything.
2) what’s really interesting is there is a statue of something remarkably similar to the nightcrawlers. unfortunately, the source is a lady in florida who got it from a lady who lives in new jersey who thinks she saw them somewhere in CA lol maybe the artist could be a lead for more info
good luck!