* "Hawaiʻi" is the Hawaiian word for the islands, meaning "homeland" or "place of the gods".
* It's believed to have originated from the Polynesian word "Hawaiki", which referred to a mythical ancestral homeland in the South Pacific.
* While "Hawaiki" is a mythical place, some researchers believe it may have been a real island or region that became a legend over time.
* When early Polynesian explorers reached the Hawaiian islands, they likely named them after their ancestral homeland, "Hawaiki", which eventually evolved into "Hawaiʻi" in the Hawaiian language.
* The English spelling "Hawaii" came about through the influence of European explorers and colonizers.
So, "Hawaii" is a word with deep roots in Polynesian mythology and history, reflecting the islands' connection to their ancestral past and their unique place in the Pacific.