Order of Dai Bendu
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
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 prior to the birth of the Jedi Order on Tython. The ancient order arose on the planet Thape and consisted of monks dedicated to non-confrontation and the study of numerology. The Bendu monks believed that the number eight represented the unification of the galaxy by the Force, and the eight-spoked circular sigil they created later adorned the starfighters of the Jedi Knights and saw use as the insignia of the Old Republic. At some point, the practitioners of the ancient order were known to reside on the snow-covered world of Ando Prime.
Other Force-studying contemporaries of the Dai Bendu included the paladins of the Chatos Academy and the Followers of Palawa.
[edit] Behind the scenes
Dai Bendu, and later Jedi Bendu, were early names George Lucas considered using for the Jedi.
