diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 7884d27..10f3ca5 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -203,15 +203,15 @@ if sys.version_info[0] < 3:
     FileNotFoundError = EnvironmentError
 
 module_pEp = Extension(
-    'native_pEp',
+    'pEp._pEp',
     sources=[
-        'src/pEp/native_pEp/pEpmodule.cc',
-        'src/pEp/native_pEp/basic_api.cc',
-        'src/pEp/native_pEp/identity.cc',
-        'src/pEp/native_pEp/message.cc',
-        'src/pEp/native_pEp/message_api.cc',
-        'src/pEp/native_pEp/str_attr.cc',
-        # 'src/pEp/native_pEp/user_interface.cc',
+        'src/pEp/_pEp/pEpmodule.cc',
+        'src/pEp/_pEp/basic_api.cc',
+        'src/pEp/_pEp/identity.cc',
+        'src/pEp/_pEp/message.cc',
+        'src/pEp/_pEp/message_api.cc',
+        'src/pEp/_pEp/str_attr.cc',
+        # 'src/pEp/_pEp/user_interface.cc',
     ],
 )
 
diff --git a/src/pEp/__init__.py b/src/pEp/__init__.py
index ab29698..1af6eac 100755
--- a/src/pEp/__init__.py
+++ b/src/pEp/__init__.py
@@ -1,25 +1,35 @@
+# -*- coding: UTF-8 -*-
 # pEp package
-# This file is being exectued upon 'import pEp'
+#
+# The names that are in _pEp that do not begin with an underscore, will be be imported into, and "re-exported" from this module.
+# They are defined in boost-python/C++, and are directly part of the pEpPythonAdapter API
+# The names that are in _pEp that DO begin with an underscore, will not be imported into this module, but will be accessible like _pEp._underscore_function().
+# They are not directly part of the pEpPythonAdapter API, and are meant to be wrapped in this module.
+# Example:
+# def underscore_function():
+#     _pEp._underscore_function()
 #
 # __all__ could be used to limit the symbols exported when using from <pkg> import *
-from pkg_resources import DistributionNotFound, get_distribution
+# TODO: Commented out until problems solved
+# from pkg_resources import DistributionNotFound, get_distribution
+
+# Imports all symbols EXCEPT the ones beginning with underscore
+from ._pEp import *
 
-# Import all symbols EXCEPT the ones beginning with underscore into the current namespace
-from native_pEp import *
-# TODO: inter-pkg ref to make sure which native_pEp in sys.path gets loaded
-# like: pEp.native_pEp
-# import the module
-import native_pEp
+# import the native module into the current namespace because we also need to access the names beginning
+# with an underscore (of _pEp), but we dont want to import them into this module
+import ._pEp
 
-try:
-    __version__ = get_distribution(__name__).version
-except DistributionNotFound:
-    print("Package is not installed.")
+# TODO: Commented out until problems solved
+# try:
+#     __version__ = get_distribution(__name__).version
+# except DistributionNotFound:
+#     print("Package is not installed.")
 
 # Executed on module import
 def init():
     print(init, "called")
-    native_pEp._init_after_main_module()
+    _pEp._init_after_main_module()
 
 
 def message_to_send(msg):
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/basic_api.cc b/src/pEp/_pEp/basic_api.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/basic_api.cc
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/basic_api.cc
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/basic_api.hh b/src/pEp/_pEp/basic_api.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/basic_api.hh
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/basic_api.hh
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/identity.cc b/src/pEp/_pEp/identity.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/identity.cc
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/identity.cc
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/identity.hh b/src/pEp/_pEp/identity.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/identity.hh
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/identity.hh
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/message.cc b/src/pEp/_pEp/message.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/message.cc
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/message.cc
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/message.hh b/src/pEp/_pEp/message.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/message.hh
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/message.hh
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/message_api.cc b/src/pEp/_pEp/message_api.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/message_api.cc
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/message_api.cc
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/message_api.hh b/src/pEp/_pEp/message_api.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/message_api.hh
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/message_api.hh
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/pEpmodule.cc b/src/pEp/_pEp/pEpmodule.cc
similarity index 99%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/pEpmodule.cc
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/pEpmodule.cc
index 3d2bff1..73a1f6d 100644
--- a/src/pEp/native_pEp/pEpmodule.cc
+++ b/src/pEp/_pEp/pEpmodule.cc
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ namespace pEp {
             _throw_status(status);
         }
 
-        BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(native_pEp) {
+        BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(_pEp) {
                 init_before_main_module();
 
                 // Module init function called by pEp.init()
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/pEpmodule.hh b/src/pEp/_pEp/pEpmodule.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/pEpmodule.hh
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/pEpmodule.hh
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/str_attr.cc b/src/pEp/_pEp/str_attr.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/str_attr.cc
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/str_attr.cc
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/str_attr.hh b/src/pEp/_pEp/str_attr.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/str_attr.hh
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/str_attr.hh
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/user_interface.cc b/src/pEp/_pEp/user_interface.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/user_interface.cc
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/user_interface.cc
diff --git a/src/pEp/native_pEp/user_interface.hh b/src/pEp/_pEp/user_interface.hh
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pEp/native_pEp/user_interface.hh
rename to src/pEp/_pEp/user_interface.hh
diff --git a/tests/test_message.py b/tests/test_message.py
index b3a0388..9787133 100644
--- a/tests/test_message.py
+++ b/tests/test_message.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ def test_msg_enc_dec_roundtrip(create_alice_identity, create_bob_identity):
     # AttributeError: module 'pEp' has no attribute 'PEP_rating'
     # assert rating == pEp.PEP_rating.PEP_rating_reliable
     # It seems to have changed to the following.
-    assert rating == pEp.native_pEp.rating.reliable
+    assert rating == pEp._pEp.rating.reliable
 
     # The first 2 keys are Alice's ones, the last is Bob's one.
     assert key_list[0] == key_list[1] == constants.ALICE_FP