Rio Tinto and BHP battle Apache tribes to build North America's biggest copper mine at sacred Oak Flat site

The blast destroyed 46,000 years of human history, a site that archaeologists said was of the highest cultural significance for the traditional owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP).

In 2013, Oxfam said Rio Tinto was the only one of 53 big miners on the Australian stock exchange to have a public commitment to United Nations principles on gaining consent from traditional owners.

But now the big miner's reputation is in tatters amid the fallout from the Juukan Gorge destruction, the fight with the Apache tribes and legal action by villagers in Bougainville, the site of Rio's former Panguna copper mine, which sparked a civil war between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea and left a trail of environmental devastation.

A revolt by investors over the Juukan Gorge incident forced former chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and two other top executives to fall on their swords.

Last month, the PKKP said Rio Tinto had taken steps to address the hurt and devastation caused by the destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves.

Some Rio Tinto investors are unhappy the big miner ignored calls for an Australian to be appointed as the new boss, including from Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, instead appointing chief financial officer Jakob Stausholm as the new chief executive.

The PKKP says it has noted the appointment?

But veteran resources analyst from UBS, Glyn Lawcock, says Rio Tinto is sticking to its current direction with the appointment of Mr Stausholm.

Mr Stausholm said last week in a note to staff that consultations with the PKKP were continuing and Rio had imposed a moratorium on mining around Juukan Gorge.

Rio Tinto has also appointed former Kimberley Land Council chief executive Wayne Bergmann to help traditional owners set up an Indigenous advisory group to advise the board and senior management.

Mr Muir says Mr Stausholm's appointment is an opportunity for change.

Mr Muir says the appointment of Indigenous board members could help improve relations between Rio and traditional owners