I have to admit to a bit of blind spot regarding the Native American tribes. That's partially why I really wish the Pueblo could have made it in, so I could fill in a knowlege gap. So, having made that admission up front, here's my general impression, and I'm interested to see if it prompts any illuminating responses.
There seems to be a strong contingent of negativity towards more European civ's, but once you take them out of the picture and focus civ's like Native Americans, it's very limiting in terms of what kind of uniques can be offered. It's basically limting any units or buildings to ancient or, at best, classical era technology. Since we already have a fair glut of "early peak" civ's, whatt's the big payoff in terms of gameplay?