We, you or they?

Yesterday, when I was recording my voice over to this slide show, I caught myself saying "they" about how the indigenous Hawaiians live, in terms of what it means to keep the Aloha spirit alive. Immediately, I felt like a bad white woman, like a settler looking in from the outside on those over there, on them. I could never refer to the people I've met in Hawai'i as them or even they. Using the word we enables both a shared responsibility and a shared inclusiveness. A way to be ohana - family.

I try to always be conscious of my choice of words, whether I narrate a video, write a blogpost or send an email to someone, besides when I write professional copy. I want to make sure that my intended tone and approach reach the audience while trying to be a positive influence, to be more healing and inclusive, especially in this case. With that said, I'm no longer living in Hawai'i and I'm not Hawaiian, so how do I best refer to Live Aloha? I hope this slideshow helps to clarify what I've learned.