Native American beginning to load a basket (5)
I believe the answer is:
creel
'a basket' is the definition.
(basket for holding fish)
'native american beginning to load' is the wordplay.
'native american' becomes 'cree' (an indigenous people of North America).
'beginning to' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letter of 'load' is 'l'.
'cree'+'l'='CREEL'
(Other definitions for creel that I've seen before include "Container for fish" , "Angler's wicker basket" , "Basket (for a mackerel once caught?)" , "Fish-basket" , "lobster basket" .)