Ray was born on January 10, 1943 on the Sandy Lake First Nation reserve in northern Ontario, Canada and was known in his Cree community as Tall Straight Poplar (he was 6\'4" tall) where he hunted and trapped after leaving residential school at fifteen following the death of his father. At this traditional way of living he was a failure - in Ray\'s own words years later: "a year\'s catch consisted of four beaver, one lynx, and an assortment of mice and rabbits". Despite showing artistic promise at an early age, Carl was reluctant to break the taboo of painting the sacred beliefs and stories of his people. He did not touch a brush or paint for many years after having been admonished by his elders for doing so.\n', '

Ray eventually left the reserve to work in the Red Lake gold mines where his drinking and guitar playing abilities earned him the nickname Ira Hayes. However, his excesses caught up with him and he contracted tuberculosis, eventually recovered in Fort William and returned home in 1966. It was not until then that Norval Morrisseau\'s success in breaking the painting taboos allowed Ray to confidently pursue his craft, which in many cases, included "legend painting" and painting wildlife and northern scenic landscapes.\n', '

Ray apprenticed under Norval Morrisseau (who had already achieved national and international acclaim) and worked on the mural for the Indians of Canada Pavilion of Expo \'67 in Montreal. Morrisseau had designed and sketched the mural but it was Ray who did most of the work and was left to finish it. Unfortunately this masterpiece is lost as it was left to fall into disrepair and was eventually demolished years later.\n', '

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