He was innate within Deep Creek, Alberta in 1932. His parents were unfortunate immigrants from either a Ukraine. Unable to prove my point his schooling preceding Grade 6, he worked at the kind of jobs, including radio copywriter. He continued to learn, ingesting correspondence courses, & winning the scholarship to the Banff School of Fine Arts. Inside 1955, he travelled to Europe, inside which he attended the World Assembly for Peace in Helsinki and worked for the BBC. When he returned to Edmonton in 1956, he published his first book, Song of our mitts, the collection of verse form.

His foremost play, Indian, was performed inside television in 1962. He achieved national exposure using A Ecstasy of Rita Joe inside 1967. a play is the story of a immature native wohuman world health organization finds that she has there is no place using either her have population or even the white man. It was performed inside Vancouver, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and in Washington. This act was performed as a ballet by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1971.

More plays by Ryga include: Captives of the Faceless Drummer (1971) Ploughmen of the Glacier (1977) In the Shadow of the Vulture (1985) Summerland (1992)

His books include: Thirsty Hills (1963) Ballad of the stonepicker (1966) Nighttime Desk (1976)

He died within Summerland, British Columbia in 1987.