Sadly the answer is more tragic and prosaic. They got sexually abused and kidnapped by missionaries and br*tish officer types and a bunch died of diseases they hadn't encountered before. So they made the logical connection that outsiders = extreme danger, keep away by any means necessary
The Easter Island episode of Fall of Civilizations was quite eye opening on the western habit of casual extermination, mythologisation as cautionary tales of "inferior savages", and commercialisation to sell plastic moai as cute garden toys with no history whatsoever.
Sadly the answer is more tragic and prosaic. They got sexually abused and kidnapped by missionaries and br*tish officer types and a bunch died of diseases they hadn't encountered before. So they made the logical connection that outsiders = extreme danger, keep away by any means necessary
The Easter Island episode of Fall of Civilizations was quite eye opening on the western habit of casual extermination, mythologisation as cautionary tales of "inferior savages", and commercialisation to sell plastic moai as cute garden toys with no history whatsoever.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: