Suea Phaya’s spirit is a secret of the tribal people. When summoned, the moon would turn red and the person who inherited Suea Phaya’s spirit would turn into a tiger to protect the forest and wild animals. Traditionally, the spirit was passed down from father to son. However, the previous chief was stabbed by an enchanted dagger that was fatal to Suea Phaya. He was unable to pass Suea Phaya’s spirit to his son Nontha, as he was not yet born. To prevent Suea Phaya from dying altogether, the previous chief passed it down to Sama, the son of the local doctor who was attending to his wound.