In recent years, i have immersed myself in the basketry culture of my Eastern Cherokee community and have created significant relationships with generational basketmakers as well as the living environment that surrounds me. Relational Sentience is about my relationship to four specific plant dyes: bloodroot, walnut, butternut, and yellowroot. Each of these dyes are used for white oak, honeysuckle vine, and rivercane basketry and they provide rich colors that enhance the designs/patterns of the basket. Each of the dyes are illustrated in a pop-up form on three of the panels (top, right, & bottom.) The left panel of the book is an accordion fold that holds a print of my Maternal Grandmother (the first basketmaker I have ever known) and four love poems to accompany each dye. The center of the book gently holds a paper weaving with letterpress printed ornamental type in colors that mimic each of the dye colors. The front cover is illustrated with signifiers of the white oak tree, honeysuckle vine, and rivercane. The back cover shows a poke berry bush, which is a tribute to Cherokee basket makers in the past who utilized the poke berry for basketry dye. Relational Sentience is an homage to the plant relatives that graciously gift their vibrancy to basket makers and how this traditional collaborative relationship allows us to understand each other and pass on traditions and stories to our loved ones.