The problem with "native" is that most people alive today almost certainly "learned" (i.e., assumed) the derivative sense "tribal inhabitant of a jungle, island, or other undeveloped region" long before they learned the older meaning of the word.

Remember all the references to "the natives" in those Tarzan movies, _Rama of the Jungle_, etc.? Easy to misinterpret if you've never heard another meaning.

And don't forget the immortal, "The natives are restless tonight." Add racism and voila.

The paradoxical first principle of language: "Logic has very little to do with it."