diff --git a/detect_host_arch.py b/detect_host_arch.py
index b0dc69314..3b0cc0bf7 100755
--- a/detect_host_arch.py
+++ b/detect_host_arch.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import sys
 def HostArch():
   """Returns the host architecture with a predictable string."""
   host_arch = platform.machine().lower()
+  host_processor = platform.processor().lower()
 
   # Convert machine type to format recognized by gyp.
   if re.match(r'i.86', host_arch) or host_arch == 'i86pc':
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ def HostArch():
     host_arch = 'mips64'
   elif host_arch.startswith('mips'):
     host_arch = 'mips'
-  elif host_arch.startswith('ppc'):
+  elif host_arch.startswith('ppc') or host_processor == 'powerpc':
     host_arch = 'ppc'
   elif host_arch.startswith('s390'):
     host_arch = 's390'