diff --git a/Lib/distutils/util.py b/Lib/distutils/util.py
index 03c0c88..683d167 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/util.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/util.py
@@ -458,3 +458,31 @@
         return sys.platform
 
 # get_platform()
+
+
+def native_path (pathname):
+    """Return 'pathname' as a name that will work on the native
+       filesystem, i.e. split it on '/' and put it back together again
+       using the current directory separator.  Needed because filenames in
+       the setup script are always supplied in Unix style, and have to be
+       converted to the local convention before we can actually use them in
+       the filesystem.  Raises DistutilsValueError if 'pathname' is
+       absolute (starts with '/') or contains local directory separators
+       (unless the local separator is '/', of course)."""
+
+    if pathname[0] == '/':
+        raise DistutilsValueError, "path '%s' cannot be absolute" % pathname
+    if pathname[-1] == '/':
+        raise DistutilsValueError, "path '%s' cannot end with '/'" % pathname
+    if os.sep != '/':
+        if os.sep in pathname:
+            raise DistutilsValueError, \
+                  "path '%s' cannot contain '%c' character" % \
+                  (pathname, os.sep)
+
+        paths = string.split (pathname, '/')
+        return apply (os.path.join, paths)
+    else:
+        return pathname
+
+# native_path ()