diff --git a/README b/README
index c98afa74b18f68a866a4283bc5c0785374e6fd3f..9702067174e361eb94383839e984d9ae6df4075c 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -374,6 +374,12 @@ The following options need to be configured:
 		Defines the string to utilize when trying to match PCIe device
 		tree nodes for the given platform.
 
+- Generic CPU options:
+		CONFIG_SYS_BIG_ENDIAN, CONFIG_SYS_LITTLE_ENDIAN
+
+		Defines the endianess of the CPU. Implementation of those
+		values is arch specific.
+
 - Intel Monahans options:
 		CONFIG_SYS_MONAHANS_RUN_MODE_OSC_RATIO
 
diff --git a/arch/mips/cpu/mips32/config.mk b/arch/mips/cpu/mips32/config.mk
index 4d1b27379d8973e05352ab472d0ece07e20a5582..a1cd590a00414c5f368af190103882440fbdd971 100644
--- a/arch/mips/cpu/mips32/config.mk
+++ b/arch/mips/cpu/mips32/config.mk
@@ -27,14 +27,23 @@
 # Note: Toolchains with binutils prior to v2.16
 # are no longer supported by U-Boot MIPS tree!
 #
-MIPSFLAGS = -march=mips32r2
+MIPSFLAGS := -march=mips32r2
 
+# Handle special prefix in ELDK 4.0 toolchain
 ifneq (,$(findstring 4KCle,$(CROSS_COMPILE)))
-ENDIANNESS = -EL
-else
-ENDIANNESS = -EB
+ENDIANNESS := -EL
 endif
 
-MIPSFLAGS += $(ENDIANNESS)
+ifdef CONFIG_SYS_LITTLE_ENDIAN
+ENDIANNESS := -EL
+endif
+
+ifdef CONFIG_SYS_BIG_ENDIAN
+ENDIANNESS := -EB
+endif
+
+# Default to EB if no endianess is configured
+ENDIANNESS ?= -EB
 
-PLATFORM_CPPFLAGS += $(MIPSFLAGS)
+PLATFORM_CPPFLAGS += $(MIPSFLAGS) $(ENDIANNESS)
+PLATFORM_LDFLAGS += $(ENDIANNESS)
diff --git a/boards.cfg b/boards.cfg
index c6090bab90010ba76dd62a6c17e09c4acaf7bfd5..3cf75c3151b0c7be6c91405661c962c78002ca3c 100644
--- a/boards.cfg
+++ b/boards.cfg
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ dbau1000                     mips        mips32      dbau1x00            -
 dbau1100                     mips        mips32      dbau1x00            -              au1x00      dbau1x00:DBAU1100
 dbau1500                     mips        mips32      dbau1x00            -              au1x00      dbau1x00:DBAU1500
 dbau1550                     mips        mips32      dbau1x00            -              au1x00      dbau1x00:DBAU1550
-dbau1550_el                  mips        mips32      dbau1x00            -              au1x00      dbau1x00:DBAU1550
+dbau1550_el                  mips        mips32      dbau1x00            -              au1x00      dbau1x00:DBAU1550,SYS_LITTLE_ENDIAN
 gth2                         mips        mips32      -                   -              au1x00
 pb1000                       mips        mips32      pb1x00              -              au1x00      pb1x00:PB1000
 incaip                       mips        mips32      incaip              -              incaip
diff --git a/include/configs/pb1x00.h b/include/configs/pb1x00.h
index eea8ed3adb09199cdb94b3cac081653cf87ab32d..d056884e7ebac620bc316f62cc4f70609119c83a 100644
--- a/include/configs/pb1x00.h
+++ b/include/configs/pb1x00.h
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@
 #endif
 #endif
 
+#define CONFIG_SYS_LITTLE_ENDIAN
+
 #define CONFIG_ETHADDR		DE:AD:BE:EF:01:01    /* Ethernet address */
 
 #define CONFIG_BOOTDELAY	2	/* autoboot after 2 seconds	*/