diff --git a/src/ikarus.boot b/src/ikarus.boot
index b04a456..823e464 100644
Binary files a/src/ikarus.boot and b/src/ikarus.boot differ
diff --git a/src/ikarus.bytevectors.ss b/src/ikarus.bytevectors.ss
index d0d7728..c902219 100644
--- a/src/ikarus.bytevectors.ss
+++ b/src/ikarus.bytevectors.ss
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@
           bytevector-uint-ref bytevector-sint-ref 
           bytevector-uint-set!  bytevector-sint-set!
           bytevector->uint-list bytevector->sint-list
-          uint-list->bytevector sint-list->bytevector)
+          uint-list->bytevector sint-list->bytevector
+          native-endianness)
   (import 
     (except (ikarus) 
         make-bytevector bytevector-length bytevector-s8-ref
@@ -25,12 +26,16 @@
         bytevector-uint-ref bytevector-sint-ref
         bytevector-uint-set!  bytevector-sint-set!
         bytevector->uint-list bytevector->sint-list
-        uint-list->bytevector sint-list->bytevector)
+        uint-list->bytevector sint-list->bytevector
+        native-endianness)
     (ikarus system $fx)
     (ikarus system $bignums)
     (ikarus system $pairs)
     (ikarus system $bytevectors))
 
+  (define (native-endianness) 'big) ;;; HARDCODED
+
+
   (define ($bytevector-fill x i j fill)
     (cond
       [($fx= i j) x]
@@ -101,7 +106,7 @@
               (error 'bytevector-u8-set! "invalid index ~s for ~s" i x))
           (error 'bytevector-u8-set! "~s is not a bytevector" x))))
 
-  (define bytevector-u16-native-ref
+  (define bytevector-u16-native-ref ;;; HARDCODED
     (lambda (x i) 
       (if (bytevector? x) 
           (if (and (fixnum? i)
@@ -114,7 +119,7 @@
               (error 'bytevector-u16-native-ref "invalid index ~s" i))
           (error 'bytevector-u16-native-ref "~s is not a bytevector" x))))
 
-  (define bytevector-u16-native-set!
+  (define bytevector-u16-native-set! ;;; HARDCODED
     (lambda (x i n) 
       (if (bytevector? x) 
           (if (and (fixnum? n) 
@@ -132,7 +137,7 @@
           (error 'bytevector-u16-native-set! "~s is not a bytevector" x))))
 
 
-  (define bytevector-s16-native-set!
+  (define bytevector-s16-native-set! ;;; HARDCODED
     (lambda (x i n) 
       (if (bytevector? x) 
           (if (and (fixnum? n) 
@@ -149,7 +154,7 @@
               (error 'bytevector-s16-native-set! "invalid value ~s" n))
           (error 'bytevector-s16-native-set! "~s is not a bytevector" x))))
 
-  (define bytevector-s16-native-ref
+  (define bytevector-s16-native-ref ;;; HARDCODED
     (lambda (x i) 
       (if (bytevector? x) 
           (if (and (fixnum? i)
diff --git a/src/ikarus.syntax.ss b/src/ikarus.syntax.ss
index ecc85af..ae2e661 100644
--- a/src/ikarus.syntax.ss
+++ b/src/ikarus.syntax.ss
@@ -810,6 +810,14 @@
         [(_ expr) 
          (bless `(unless ,expr
                    (error 'assert "~s failed" ',expr)))])))
+  (define endianness-macro
+    (lambda (stx) 
+      (syntax-match stx ()
+        [(_ e) 
+         (case (syntax->datum e)
+           [(little) (bless `'little)]
+           [(big)    (bless `'big)]
+           [else (stx-error stx "endianness must be big or little")])])))
   (define identifier-syntax-macro
     (lambda (stx)
       (syntax-match stx ()
@@ -1658,6 +1666,7 @@
            [(time)              time-macro]
            [(delay)             delay-macro]
            [(assert)            assert-macro]
+           [(endianness)        endianness-macro]
            [(... => _ else unquote unquote-splicing 
              unsyntax unsyntax-splicing)
             incorrect-usage-macro]
diff --git a/src/makefile.ss b/src/makefile.ss
index 2e7a32d..c006ed9 100755
--- a/src/makefile.ss
+++ b/src/makefile.ss
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@
     [or                (macro . or)]
     [time              (macro . time)]
     [delay             (macro . delay)]
+    [endianness        (macro . endianness)]
     [assert            (macro . assert)]
     [...               (macro . ...)]
     [=>                (macro . =>)]
@@ -251,6 +252,7 @@
     [or                i r ne]
     [time              i]
     [delay               i ne]
+    [endianness        i ]
     [assert            i r]
     [...               i r ne]
     [=>                i r ne]
@@ -415,6 +417,7 @@
     [sint-list->bytevector   i]
     [string->utf8-bytevector i]
     [utf8-bytevector->string i]
+    [native-endianness       i]
 
     [for-each                i r]
     [map                     i r]
diff --git a/src/todo-r6rs.ss b/src/todo-r6rs.ss
index 81115c8..422fa48 100755
--- a/src/todo-r6rs.ss
+++ b/src/todo-r6rs.ss
@@ -398,8 +398,8 @@
     [bytevector-uint-set!                       C bv]
     [bytevector=?                               C bv]
     [bytevector?                                C bv]
-    [endianness                                 S bv]
-    [native-endianness                          S bv]
+    [endianness                                 C bv]
+    [native-endianness                          C bv]
     [sint-list->bytevector                      C bv]
     [string->utf16                              S bv]
     [string->utf32                              S bv]