This article examines the historical violence and territorial dispossession endured by the Pataxó people in southern Bahia, focusing on the Estado Novo period (1937–1945) and the establishment of Monte Pascoal National Park (PNMP) in 1943 under Getúlio Vargas' government. While the Vargas regime's indigenous policy was framed by nationalist and integrationist rhetoric, it ultimately marginalized the Pataxó by prioritizing national development projects over their territorial rights. The research demonstrates that the creation of PNMP, envisioned by Vargas as a symbol of "Brazilian nationhood," led to the systematic expulsion of these indigenous people from their ancestral lands under the guise of environmental preservation and commemoration of Brazil's "discovery." The study also analyzes the contradictions within the Indian Protection Service (SPI) during Estado Novo, which, despite its protective discourse, functioned as an instrument of state control and forced assimilation. Finally, it highlights the ongoing resistance of the Pataxó people against these policies, revealing the conflict between Vargas' modernization project and the rights of indigenous peoples.