Order of Dai Bendu

The Order of Dai Bendu, also known as the Bendu, was one of the many ancient and semi-legendary organizations that studied the Force and the midi-chlorians in the Early Hyperspace Age, prior to the birth of the Galactic Republic on Coruscant. While the Order originated on the world of Thape, it thrived in the Andobi Mountains of the snowy planet Ando Prime.
In 36,453 BBY, a group of Bendu monks were brought to the planet of Tython, where they encountered other Force-sensitive groups and took part in the establishment of the Je'daii Order. A number of elements and symbols borrowed from the Dai Bendu made they way into the Je'daii Order and its successor, the Holy Order of the Jedi Knights.
Although the Order of Dai Bendu still existed in the waning days of the Republic, its tenets were poorly understood and its involvement with the birth of the Je'daii Order had been mostly forgotten, even in the scientific circles. Some historians of that time theorized that the Bendu monks were the original incarnation of the Jedi, but lacked solid proofs to back up their claim. Only a few individuals, including the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis, possessed texts pertaining to the ancient Dai Bendu.

Source : http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Order_of_Dai_Bendu