The 'base code' of the Abrahamic religions (the dominant strain of monotheism) is Judaism. The keystones of the system laid down before the Captivity by Abraham were made more rigid by Moses after the Exodus. The Jews had been forced into a nomadic existence within a limited, desert area by the hostile states that surrounded them until they became strong and numerous enough to conquer Canaan. Survival in such circumstances requires harsh discipline, imposed by the leaders. Such discipline also provides a sense of identity. Otherwise, the Jewish people would have dispersed and become assimilated into the surrounding cultures in the hope of a safer life.

Native American tribes, on the other hand, were hunter-gatherers with a Neolithic culture and no real restrictions on their migration. They were not confined to the deep desert, though they may have spent time there. As such, their semi-polytheistic animism would have adequately served their purposes in the same way as the animism of the Australian Aborigine sufficed.

As to the esoteric, don't put the cart before the horse. Esoteric religion is not the 'core', but a superstructure built on after a culture is settled and prosperous enough for people to have time to ponder on impracticalities.