diff --git a/src/uproot/writing/_cascadetree.py b/src/uproot/writing/_cascadetree.py
index bf5491cec..66569c2c1 100644
--- a/src/uproot/writing/_cascadetree.py
+++ b/src/uproot/writing/_cascadetree.py
@@ -585,7 +585,9 @@ def extend(self, file, sink, data):
                     ):
                         kk = self._counter_name(k)
                         vv = numpy.asarray(awkward.num(v, axis=1), dtype=">u4")
-                        if kk in provided and not numpy.array_equal(vv, provided[kk]):
+                        if kk in provided and not numpy.array_equal(
+                            vv, awkward.to_numpy(provided[kk])
+                        ):
                             raise ValueError(
                                 f"branch {kk!r} provided both as an explicit array and generated as a counter, and they disagree"
                             )
diff --git a/tests/test_1318_dont_compare_big_endian_in_awkward.py b/tests/test_1318_dont_compare_big_endian_in_awkward.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4fdf0b4ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_1318_dont_compare_big_endian_in_awkward.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# BSD 3-Clause License; see https://github.com/scikit-hep/uproot5/blob/main/LICENSE
+
+import os
+
+import pytest
+import awkward as ak
+
+import uproot
+
+
+def test(tmp_path):
+    filename = os.path.join(tmp_path, "whatever.root")
+
+    nMuon_pt = ak.Array([1, 2, 3])
+    Muon_pt = ak.Array([[1.1], [2.2, 3.3], [4.4, 5.5, 6.6]])
+
+    with uproot.recreate(filename) as file:
+        file["tree"] = {"nMuon_pt": nMuon_pt, "Muon_pt": Muon_pt}